PLANS are beginning to take shape for this year s Royston Arts Festival. And organisers say that events have been expanded and broadened in a bid to appeal across the community. The event will run from Thursday, September 25-Sunday, September 28, and will

PLANS are beginning to take shape for this year's Royston Arts Festival.

And organisers say that events have been expanded and broadened in a bid to appeal across the community.

The event will run from Thursday, September 25-Sunday, September 28, and will include many of the activities included last year.

One new aspect, however, will be the publication of a book written by schoolchildren in Royston.

Organiser Kathy Wholley said: "We wanted to involve the local schools a lot more this year so we came up with the idea of asking children from every first school in Royston to write down what the town means to them."

The resulting book, Royston Through the Eyes of a Child, will be published during the festival and launched at Royston library on September 25.

This year Johnson Matthey has become a major sponsor for the festival.

John Gourd, JM's site planning and services director, said the company had been willing to support "initiatives that enrich the town".

He applauded, too, the work being undertaken by the organising committee.

Other events during the three-days of activities will be exhibitions of art, craft and photography which will include workshops and competitions and the popular town-trial.

Royston amateur drama group Cads will be presenting a comedy night at Greneway School, the Priory Singers will be giving a concert performance and there will be jazz and folk sessions at local pubs.

This year, too, the festival will be showing the wealth of dance talent in the area with dance shows and dance workshops.

There will be events from a toddlers' afternoon of art and play to bands and DJs appearing at the Nu bar.

A Grand Festival Concert will be held in Royston Parish Church on Saturday, September 27 and the events will come to an end with the Royston Town Band giving an open-air concert in Priory Memorial Gardens on Sunday, September 28.

The Crow will over the next months be publishing details of the activities which will be taking place during the Royston Arts Festival.