Care home residents who are part of its newly launched book club were treated to an audience with a best-selling author.

Famed for penning thrillers such as The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File and The Dogs of War, residents at Signature at Farnham Common’s book club welcomed Frederick Forsyth CBE for a talk on his career spanning five decades.

Frederick held an informative Q+A session covering his work which has seen more than a dozen of his titles adapted to film, and his books having sold more than 70 million copies in more than 30 languages.

The book club were additionally treated to a reading from The Day of the Jackal. Frederick’s visit further builds on the care home’s literary connections, underpinned by its in-house Blyton café being named after famed local author Enid Blyton.

The author’s visit added to the care home’s World Book Day celebrations, marking the annual event that takes place on the first Thursday of March in the UK. It aims to change lives through a love of books and reading, and additionally among children by providing them with book tokens that they can exchange for free books at participating bookshops.

Margaret Garner, a resident at Signature at Farnham Common, said: “We were delighted to hear from Frederick and to learn more about his career and his work. It has taken him to some wonderful and exciting places which have clearly informed his work. We have all enjoyed reading his books over the years, so to have him visit us and deliver an in-person talk was thrilling!”

Alex Alexandru, General Manager at Signature at Farnham Common, said: “It was a privilege to welcome Frederick to deliver the reading of The Day of the Jackal and a Q&A with our residents and colleagues. He was the perfect guest to mark the launch of our new book club, and equally to mark World Book Day. Hearing a first-hand how his books have had such a powerful impact around the world was inspiring.”