THE organisers of Whitchurch Caldecott Festival will being running a series of events highlighting who Randolph Caldecott was in the run up to next year's event.

The festival was scheduled to take place this year, but organisers have pushed the date back to February 28, 2021 to help build up more support for the event.

But they say that 2020 will be full of events to help residents of Whitchurch to get to know the man.

Throughout this year, some of Caldecott's Victorian contemporaries will be seen about Whitchurch as story tellers will be talking about him.

Walkers will also be following the route he took to town when he worked in Whitchurch and lodged in Wirswall and cartoonists will be out and about, drawing just like he did.

Organiser, Dr Norma Raynes, said that by 2021, they will have organised an excellent festival.

"The steering group of the Caldecott Festival decided we need a full year to organise," she said.

"[We need to] raise our awareness of the man and his talents and enough money to be sure we provided a sparkling festival which we could show off to the country and celebrate his life and all he gave to it.

"The laughter he generated and the great tradition he started of wonderful illustrated children's books we all now take for granted.

"By the time we get to the Caldecott Festival we will have organised a sparkling festival in his name.

"We will have raised enough money, with the help of the help of everyone in town and the splendid sponsors we seek, to support getting know Mr Caldecott, getting to know all about him.

"So the festival will be held on the last Saturday in February, that is February, 28, 2021."