The Chippenham Folk Festival is just around the corner and preparations are under way for the weekend of May 28-31.

Over four days, the town centre is transformed into an all-singing and all-dancing folk party, with hundreds of acts.

Bob Berry, festival organiser, said: “We have 150 acts over the weekend and 60 plus dance displays such as morris dancing.

“We have local artists as well as national ones.

“A lot of people do come along to the festival thinking it is just going to be morris dancing but it is more than that.”

“There are a huge number of things going on.”

Mr Berry is keen to publicise the fact that it is possible to buy tickets for just one of the days, rather than shelling out for the whole weekend.

He said: “Not everyone realises that you can buy tickets for an individual day.

“A typical concert would have up to six acts from all over the country and one top performer.”

Acts for this year include Bob Fox, James Fagan and Nancy Kerr, Tom McConville and David Newey, Ceilidh bands and dance groups.

The festival is manned by an army of volunteers and the organisers particularly need people to help set up the festival venues in the days leading up to it. There are up to 200 stewards at the event.

The festival this year is to focus on green issues and recycling.

Tickets are available online www.chippfolk.co.uk and will soon be available from Chippenham’s Tourist Information Centre.