A MAJOR corporate sponsor has pulled its funding for the Hay Festival.

Indian multinational Tata which, amongst many others, owns Jaguar Land Rover and Tata steel began its sponsorship of the world-famous literary festival in 2014.

But after five consecutive years in partnership, that relationship now appears to have come to an end.

And whilst Tata's decision may have put a dent in the festival's funding, it has also paved the way for a raft of different talent to be welcomed into the fold.

The partnership, which saw Tata pour a reported £1 million into the festival over the years, lending its name to the main arena and bringing new events and speakers to Hay, was a controversial one.

Festival organisers faced harsh criticism from some quarters, with authors following in the footsteps of Germaine Greer and Jim Crace who, in protest of Nestle's involvement as a sponsor at the time, pulled out of the festival in 2002.

One author to boycott Hay Festival as a direct result of its relationship with Tata was the 1997 Booker prize winner, Arundhati Roy, who has confirmed that she will appear at this year's festival following the unexpected end to Tata's involvement.

The God of Small Places author has previously heaped scathing criticism on the conglomerate company's hold over the India.

"Domestic mega-corporations' tentacles extend into every aspect of Indian life - but no one dares speak out against them," Ms Roy wrote in 2012.

Speaking to The Times newspaper, Hay Festival director Peter Florence said that a broad mix of funding streams were necessary to keep the not-for-profit festival going and that organisers were working to increase philanthropic giving.