GOD, the universe and what it’s all about were the big issues tackled at a second county “faith fest”.

The Bloxham Festival of Faith & Literature was held at Bloxham School from Friday to Sunday.

Speakers included Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Sara Thornton, and former Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Ian Blair, left, who spoke about crime as entertainment with writer James Runcie and actress Jeany Spark.

Other talks looked at issues including religion in art, biblical stories and proposed reforms of the press.

Festival director Sarah Meyrick said: “We’re really pleased with how the festival went. We ended up selling almost 1,700 tickets over the weekend.

“Some people thought they were coming for one event and enjoyed it so much they decided to stay on. The feedback from visitors and speakers alike was all really positive.”

Other speakers included Marian Partington – whose sister Lucy was murdered by serial killer Fred West – speaking about forgiveness, Banbury Conservative MP Sir Tony Baldry on the financial sector and ethics, and novelist Patrick Gale exploring faith.