Former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and crowned and twice-chaired Bard Ceri Wyn Jones took centre stage at the fourth annual PENfro Book Festival on Saturday.

The two writers, who read and discussed their poetry, were the highlight of what is being hailed as a highly successful weekend.

Chair of PENfro Book Festival, Derek Webb said of this year’s festival: “What a wonderful few days – and the sun shone on us too! Some excellent events – a terrific film for starters, well attended and much appreciated writers’ workshops, Rowan Williams and Ceri Wyn Jones on Saturday were truly bendigedig, and Sunday was a wonderful mix of poetry, children’s events, big name authors and emerging authors.

"We are very thankful for some funding from Pembrokeshire County Council, Western Solar, some publishers including Parthian and Literature Wales. I’m only sad that the Arts Council of Wales itself saw fit not to support us (we were asking for just 5 per cent of what they give to Dinefwr Literature Festival).

"With such very limited financial resources it is only thanks to a hard-working committee, the generosity of Rhosygilwen and a truly heroic band of volunteers that the event went so well and visitors had such a good time.”

On Saturday evening Rowan Williams read mainly from his latest collection of poetry, ‘The Other Mountain’, which will be published in November.

Among a wide range of poetry Ceri Wyn read from his work ‘Lloches’ (Refuge), with which he won the Chair for the second time at this year’s Eisteddfod. The poem tells the story of Cardigan town and its Castle.

On the Friday night Director Owain Ll?r showed and discussed his film ‘La Casa di Dio’, the award-winning film of the fantastic church created by Italian inmates in a prefab building at the prisoner of war camp at Henllan. The event marked the 70th anniversary of the opening of the church, in September 1944.

There were full bookings for a range of workshops for writers all day on Saturday – covering poetry, novel writing, writing radio drama, memoir and getting published.

Alongside the Book Fair on Sunday there was a wide variety of meet-the-author events around the Rhosygilwen site.

Events ranged from storytelling for children to discussions with award winning writers including Ceri Wyn Jones, Tyler Keevil and Cynan Jones. There was more poetry from Jasmine Donahaye and Jonathan Edwards, Trevor Fishlock discussed his latest book, ‘A Gift of Sunlight’, David Wilson discussed publishing landscape photography and there was also a popular session on the life and work of self-sufficiency pioneers John and Sally Seymour.

Other authors featured included Tiffany Murray, Stephen Wade, Carly Holmes, Margaret Redfern, Alys Einion, Dorothy al Khafaji and Hilary Shepherd.