BEST-SELLING children’s author AF Steadman has visited St Austell for an event raising funds towards the town’s festival of children’s literature.

The author, who is the patron of the festival, was at St John’s Methodist Church for An Audience With AF Steadman. She talked about her work and signed copies of her latest book, Skandar and the Skeleton Curse.

Festival director Simon Pollard and a team of volunteers welcomed the author, fans and St Austell mayor Julian Young to the venue.

Simon, who is the headteacher of Carclaze Community Primary School, said: “We are so fortunate to have such a luminary author as our patron and we are very grateful that she’s taken time out from her hectic schedule to travel down and make time for us today.

“She shares our goal of making reading a top priority among our children and her books go a long way to encourage that.”