SPRING has sprung and attention in Lymm is turning to this year's Lymm Festival, which is less than three months away.

There will be a mix of events throughout the week, which showcases not only the talents of people from Lymm, but also of touring performers and artists.

The event will start with the Street Fun and Food Fest on June 24 and closes, as has become traditional, with a picnic in the scenic surroundings of Lymm Hall on July 3.

Honor Giles, festival director, picked out other main attractions of the event.

She said: "Two of the highlights include a chamber concert by the Manchester Camerata Ensemble with a programme of Brahms, Schubert and Beethoven, and an outdoor family show by the national touring company Oddsocks Theatre, who will be performing The Legend of Robin Hood."

One of the more unusual innovations for this summer is a challenge to the residents of Lymm to create the best collection of scarecrows in the country.

Organisers promise more details on how to enter by the end of April and there will be prizes on offer as well.

And there will also be an outdoor sculpture exhibition, after resident Su Williams agreed to open up her garden as an exhibition space.

Included in this will be a workshop run by internationally renowned sculptor Andrew Logan, and the chance for schoolchildren to create art through workshops with two sculptors, Colin Grimes and Rachel Vincent.

The full programme will be confirmed next month, while entries to the creative writing contest and photography competition are already being encouraged.

Visit www.lymmfestival.com for more details on how to enter.