Bookworms, comedy fans and music lovers can enjoy a free event taking place in the borough today and tomorrow.

Writeidea Festival offers more than 40 events at the Idea Store Whitechapel, including readings from established writers.

Key events include the Petticoat lane foxtrot narrating the lost sounds of cockney Jewish themes jazz, a film about the Mile End Community project exploring Muslim migration to east London.

The festival is backed by the Arts Council and opens with music from the Urban Playground - a brass band from Morpeth School in Bethnal Green.

Councillor Abdul Mukit, cabinet member for culture and youth, said: “We should encourage more people to appreciate the benefits of reading, writing and engaging in culture, and doing our best to make culture open and accessible to all.”

All the events are free but some are expected to be popular so to guarantee a place you need to register by visiting ideastore.co.uk/writeidea-programme-fri-sat.