Jonathan Welford

Festival Organiser

If Nantwich Noir has a beating heart, it is Jonathan, our festival director and resident ringmaster. When he is not clasping a flat white like it is emotional support caffeine, he is pulling in sponsors, sweet-talking publishers, courting writers and podcasters and somehow making them all play nicely together. Think of him as the person who looks at a sprawling mass of ideas and says “Yes, we can absolutely turn this into a forensic-level crime writing festival.” And the wild part is that he actually can.

If Jonathan were a detective, he would be a beguiling blend of 1980s Bergerac charm with a far more practical car and a dash of Lisbeth Salander’s icy intuition. All the keen clue-finding ability, none of the full-body tattoo commitment.

His love affair with crime fiction started early with the Famous Five, grew up with Sherlock Holmes and now revels in the cool, shadowy labyrinths of Scandi Noir. He has absolutely no intention of leaving that world behind. Why would he, when it keeps giving him new reasons to stay up far too late?

His favourite part of festival planning is talking to authors and publishers. He loves the graft behind the glamour, the truth that an “overnight success” actually takes years of graft, edits and emotional support biscuits. The only thing that gives him the ick is how long books take to go from “yes” to being released into the wild. Over two years. Sometimes more. Even Agatha Christie would tut.

When asked which fictional villain he would grab a drink with, he sheepishly admits it is Lisbeth Salander. She is technically more protagonist than antagonist, but with hacking skills like that she can drink in whichever category she wants. Jonathan would, of course, be far too starstruck to speak.

Bring him to Nantwich and he will insist you go to Ramonzinos for a bottle of Sicilian Kikè and a sharing platter. Park yourself at the high tables. Watch the world drift past the window. If an Agatha Christie detective came to town, Jonathan is convinced they would go there to sniff out gossip and scandal.

When he needs inspiration, he takes to the Nantwich Loop walk. Down Welsh Row, along the canal, through the fields and back past the lake. It clears the head, sharpens the senses and, purely hypothetically, is full of places you could abandon a fictional body. Purely fictional. Obviously.

If Nantwich Noir were a crime story, Jonathan has no doubt he would be the sleuth. He makes this declaration while admitting that after a couple of Campari spritzes he becomes chatty enough to accidentally spill every secret he knows. Sherlock Holmes with the energy of a particularly giddy village fête.

The most “on brand” thing he has ever done for a crime festival? He claims he knows where the bodies are buried and no one else does. He says this with a wink. We think it is a joke. We hope it is a joke.

And his official alibi for the weekend of Nantwich Noir? He was absolutely nowhere near the candlesticks. He was in the ballroom with Colonel Mustard, admiring the man’s marvellous moustache, surrounded by over a hundred crime writing fans. Good luck proving otherwise.

Jan Roberts

Festival Organiser

When it comes to words, Jan is our in-house magician. As Festival PR and Marketing Director, she writes the press releases that make journalists lean forward, widen their eyes and ask for just a little more. She keeps the media simmering at the perfect temperature of intrigue, always hungry for the next announcement but never quite satisfied. It is a talent that should probably come with a warning label.

If Jan were a detective, she would be a glorious hybrid. Imagine Jessica Fletcher with better hair and even better words per minute, blended with Miss Marple’s unshakeable inquisitiveness. Add a dash of sharp journalistic instinct and you get a sleuth who could crack a case before most people have found a pen that works.

Her love of crime fiction began with the Famous Five, graduated to Agatha Christie and now flourishes with the steady brilliance of Vera and the glorious chaos of Agatha Raisin. Crime fiction grabbed her early and has refused to let go.

Ask Jan what she loves most about building Nantwich Noir and she lights up instantly. She is fascinated by the heart of a story, by how a writer becomes the writer they are, by the spark that starts it all. She is not keen on graphic violence, but she absolutely adores passion on the page.

When it comes to fictional villains, she will quite happily raise a glass with Moriarty. Sherlock Holmes needed a sparring partner, and Moriarty provided exactly the right amount of trouble. Jan respects that kind of commitment.

If she is showing visiting authors around Nantwich, she will whisk them straight to The Black Lion on Welsh Row. Have a bottle of wine or a proper ale, sit by the fire on a cold night and soak in the atmosphere of the oldest pub in town. If those walls could talk, Jan would already have interviewed them beyond exhaustion.

When she needs inspiration, she heads for the Shropshire Union Canal. The wide sweep of the fields, the soft glow of dusk, the warm lights appearing in canalside homes, the chimney smoke curling up from the liveaboard boats. It is atmospheric perfection, and the ideal place to let ideas breathe.

If Nantwich Noir were a crime story, Jan knows exactly what role she would play. She works in PR, after all. You can make your own assumptions. If the truth comes out after two proseccos or gets expertly shaped for public consumption, she would undoubtedly be involved.

As for the most on brand thing she has ever done, Jan simply smiles and says you will have to wait for the press release. And no, you cannot have an exclusive. At least not yet.

And finally, her alibi for the weekend of Nantwich Noir is delightfully cryptic. She knows who, what, where, how and when it happened. Did you not read all about it?

Michelle Haylock

Festival Organiser

If there is one thing Michelle brings to Nantwich Noir, it is the ability to make things actually happen. While the rest of us are still flapping about with ideas, she is the one calmly coordinating, pulling threads together and turning “we should do that” into “that is booked, sorted and has a spreadsheet.” She insists she is not entirely sure what her final role in the festival will be, but honestly, every festival needs a Michelle. Preferably two.

Of course, no great crime fiction team is complete without a sidekick, and Michelle comes with a particularly loyal one. Her trusty Labrador, whose super sniffing nose has uncovered more “discoveries” than most television detectives manage in a full series. Whether it is a lost sock or something far more suspicious buried in the flower beds, he has it covered.

Michelle’s earliest brush with crime fiction came courtesy of her gran and many cosy afternoons watching Murder She Wrote. These days she is partial to a good LJ Ross binge, the perfect blend of suspense, pace and “just one more chapter before bed.”

Ask her what she loves most about being part of Nantwich Noir, and the answer comes easily. Event planning. She adores taking an idea, nurturing it and watching it grow into something real. This is a woman who genuinely enjoys the logistics, which makes her an absolute unicorn to the rest of us.

As for which fictional villain she would have a drink with, well, let us just say Michelle is still thinking about that one. Probably wisely.

Her favourite local recommendation for visiting authors is Ebenezers, excellent craft beer, a cracking atmosphere and very much her kind of place.

When she needs inspiration, you will find her at the end of the garden, fire pit blazing, wrapped up against the evening chill and staring into the flames like a woman plotting something just dramatic enough for primetime.

If Nantwich Noir were a crime story, Michelle knows exactly who she would be. The sharp eyed sidekick whose brilliant ideas get ignored, right up until the hero claims them as their own. She delivers this with a resigned “eugh,” proving she has already lived this more than once.

And her alibi for the festival weekend is a good one. She once bartered with Father Christmas in the Elven Trading Post of Lapland over gingerbread, so she has got form. If anything goes awry at Nantwich Noir, she will either talk her way out of it or charm a magical woodland being into taking the blame.”

Rob Hardy

Festival Organiser

While everyone else at Nantwich Noir is debating psychological thrillers and arguing over whether the butler actually did it, Rob is in the background making sure the website does not fall over and the accounts balance. As back office lead for website development and accounting, he looks after the deeply unglamorous but oddly satisfying bits that keep a festival alive. It is the perfect role for someone who finds spreadsheets soothing and genuinely enjoys making systems behave. Also, for the record, it is a chai latte, not a flat white. Accuracy matters.

His route into crime fiction began with compulsory childhood viewing. Growing up in Central Scotland, Taggart was television law. Gritty, working class Glasgow crime stories delivered with dark Scottish humour and that immortal line, “There has been a murder.” It showed him that crime fiction could be about place and class and real people, not just clever puzzles. That idea never left.

Rob’s favourite part of planning the festival is building the systems that sit behind the scenes. As a neurodivergent human, good systems do more than keep things tidy, they make life possible. Creating order from chaos is his happy place and yes, the spreadsheets really do spark joy.

The bit that gives him the ick is the idea of large social gatherings where he is expected to mingle artfully with multiple people at once. His brain does not multitask like that, and he gets overwhelmed easily. He is far better one to one, or hiding behind a laptop making sure the ticketing still works.

When it comes to fictional villains, Rob grudgingly admits he would share a glass of wine with Hannibal Lecter, specifically the cultured, opera loving version with impeccable taste. He would like to discuss psychotherapy and cheese making, although preferably without becoming part of the menu.

Ask him what a visiting author should do in Nantwich and he will offer options. For wholesome reflection, a brisk walk around the lake, which is surprisingly lovely and ideal for plotting entirely fictional murders in peace. For something more civilised, a glass of wine at Edwards. Both are very Nantwich, both are excellent, and both give you a real sense of the town.

When he needs inspiration, there is no bohemian corner table in a dramatic café. It is the sofa, the laptop, a chai latte and a very annoyed cat glaring at him for daring to sit on her cushion. It is deeply ordinary and exactly where he does his best thinking. The dramatic staring into the middle distance is usually aimed at the living room wall.

As for his alibi during the weekend of Nantwich Noir, it is impeccably documented. He will be exactly where you would expect to find him, behind a laptop, quietly making sure everything runs smoothly while everyone else is having fun. His whereabouts can be confirmed by roughly forty seven spreadsheets, a perfectly updated website and a deeply offended tabby cat who will testify that he was late with her dinner. Although knowing her, she might still testify against him out of spite.