PREPARATIONS have begun for this year's Sherston boules competition.

The Bastille Boules Bonanza will be held on July 13, the day before the French celebrate storming the infamous prison.

There will be more than Gallic games for visitors to enjoy when the competition comes to Sherston, with a variety of stalls and activities to keep them occupied from early in the morning until long into the night.

Last year's highly successful farmers' market is to be retained at this year's event and is expected to be bigger and better than before.

There will be plenty to do for all ages, with craft and plant stalls for those who like browsing and face painting, a roundabout and pony and train rides for younger visitors, while the Sherston Senior Club will be repeating their exhibition of handicrafts and special collections.

The village High Street will be closed to traffic and transformed into a cosmopolitan promenade of cafes, bars and live jazz.

At the heart of the party atmosphere, there is of course the boules, and 128 teams are expected with French experts battling it out against the stars of the British National Petanque League.

Getting the village ready for the biggest boules event in the country, which continues to grow from its humble beginnings as a local competition for 16 teams back in 1986, is a huge undertaking starting early in the morning.

For the pitch-layers, Sherston Boules and Carnival 2002 will start at 7am with tonnes of sand to be spread on the High Street to ensure that 16 matches can be played simultaneously.

The workers will be rewarded for their efforts with full English breakfast served in both the Rattlebone Inn and the Carpenters Arms.

Next, the food stalls, bars and cafes have to be set up and by 9am the first matches will be underway, the crowds will be starting to build up and French music will be played while the live bands and street entertainers get ready to perform.

"It will add up to another highly enjoyable day out for the whole family," said spokesman Irene Johnston.

"This is the best and the biggest single day boules event in the country and it's worth getting up early for."