The organiser of the much-loved Barnes Children's Literary Festival has been named as a Coronation Champion.

The accolade comes from the Royal Voluntary Service, which has been involved in a search to find 500 volunteers from across the country who have made an 'exceptional difference' in their communities.

Festival founder Amanda Brettargh will receive a specially designed, official Coronation Champions pin and a signed certificate from Their Majesties in recognition of the festival, which is run entirely by volunteers.

The Barnes Children's Literature Festival is the largest dedicated children's literature festival in the UK.

She told Nub News: "'It's an absolute honour to have been chosen by Their Majesties as a Coronation Champion and I feel humbled to have been recognised because it takes a village to deliver the UK's largest children's literature festival and it just couldn't happen without the commitment of more than 150 heroes from every Barnes school, charity and community organisation.

"They continue to inspire me every day with their dedication to providing every child in London with the opportunity to experience the power of live literature."

The Barnes Children's Literature Festival is the largest dedicated children's literature festival in the UK. It was founded by local families in 2015 and is the only national literature festival to be entirely organised and delivered by over 150 unpaid volunteers.

Barnes is also the home of the largest free literature festival Schools Programme in England providing over 13,000 free places this year in Tower Hamlets (18-19 May), Kingston (13 June), Wandsworth (15-16 June), Twickenham Stadium (19 June), and Barnes (21-23 June), followed by the public weekend on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 June.