Chris Herbert takes a look at the first ever Chesham Festival and finds out how it all began

THE first ever Chesham Festival is set to draw in thousands of punters with attractions ranging from a country barn dance to a teddy bears' picnic.

The festival was kick-started last year by the town council's town centre revitalisation committee as a community celebration, and the event now offers a huge variety of events to suit all tastes.

After the official opening ceremony in the Market Square, a procession will wind its way down the Broadway to Lowndes Park where there will be prizes for the most originally-decorated umbrella. The theme of the procession is Our Rainbow World.

The first day of the festival also includes Morris dancing, a flower show, a photographic portrait exhibition called Chesham People, a concert by The Misbourne Orchestra, and a revue of music and dance by Panda Players.

Chiltern District Council is also offering free car parking at the Albany Place car park all day on Saturday and a festival programme has been delivered free of charge to every household in and around Chesham.

The festival starts tomorrow and lasts until July 19.

Festival secretary Cic Upcott said: "From an idea of the town council to the programme we have produced, the Chesham Festival has grown to offer a huge variety of events over nine whole days. We hope there is something to suit everyone.

"It was hard to think of July - when the festival would be taking place - when we were organising it in the winter but, hopefully, it will all pay off.

"We really would like everyone to come to the town centre street market on Sunday and prove that there's a lot of talent and a lot of activity in this town to make the festival buzz."

Other events taking place throughout the week include folk band The Yetties, who will be appearing at the White Hill Centre, White Hill, Chesham on Monday. The band, which comes from Dorset, has performed in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Romania and all over Europe and the UK.

There will also be an Alice in Wonderland shop window treasure hunt taking place all week along the High Street. Prizes are available for various age groups and application forms are available from Chapter One Booksellers or The Elgiva Theatre.

% For more information on The Chesham Festival, call Sarah Templeton on (01494) 775693

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