THE acclaimed author and former Children’s Laureate, Michael Morpurgo will be the Guest Speaker at next April's very special gala dinner to be hosted by Bowood House.

Scheduled for the evening of Friday, April 25, the night of the fund-raising dinner in aid of Michael and Clare Morpurgo’s charity, ‘Farms for City Children’, Mr Morpurgo will deliver a talk entitled, ‘War Horse and the Pity of War: writing about the First World War’.

In the year that commemorates 100 years since the start of the First World War he will be focusing on ‘War Horse’ and what inspired him towards the story of Joey - the horse purchased by the Army for wartime service in France - and the attempts of his previous owner, young Albert, to bring him safely home.

It will particularly poignant as Bowood House - during the 1914-1918 war - became a Red Cross Hospital, set up and run by the 5th Marchioness and with 20 nurses tending to 54 patients.

Revealing how the war personally affected the estate, its employees and the Lansdowne family, The Orangery’s annual exhibition will, in 2014, be themed ‘For King and Country: Bowood and the First World War’.

Dinner guests will gain an insight into this episode in Bowood’s history from a selection of related paintings plus showcases featuring photographs, letters and other documents of the time.

Tickets to attend the Black Tie dinner are priced at £150 per person to include the champagne and canape reception, the three course dinner accompanied by wines, soft drinks and coffee, as well as a pre-signed copy of a Michael Morpurgo book for each guest.

“I am particularly delighted to be welcoming Michael Morpurgo next April for our gala dinner to raise funds for ‘Farms for City Children” as there is clearly an affinity between Bowood’s ethos and the charity’s work,” Lord Lansdowne said.

“Similarly in a year when, as part of the whole country’s First World War commemorations, we at Bowood will be recalling the role of our own community, estate, and family between 1914 and 1918, it’s most fitting that Michael Morpurgo will be at Bowood House to recount the ‘War Horse’ story.

For enquiries about the Michael Morpurgo dinner at Bowood House on Friday, April 25 and to reserve a table of 10 or individual tickets, please call the Bowood Estate Office on 01249 812102, email reception@bowood.org or visit www.bowood.org/events.