The 10 Parishes Festival of visual and performing arts returns to Wiveliscombe and surrounding villages in September.

The biennial event features artists’ open studios, exhibitions and performances, and will be a cultural celebration for the local community.

Artists and performers still have time to register, and take the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the many well-established exhibitors who have participated since the festival was conceived in 2003.

The organisers particularly invite those who may have recently moved into the area and may not have made links and associations so far with the artistic community.

Victoria Ward is one artist who will return to Wiveliscombe Community Centre in a joint exhibition of recent work. Many creative people will doubtless find resonance in her comment: “The past year has given me lots of lovely time to paint.”

Performances include the remarkable family of instrumentalists, The Kanneh-Masons, who will be at St Andrew’s Church in Wiveliscombe on Friday, September 17, courtesy of the Milverton Concert Society.

Festival director Pauline Homeshaw said: “It is such a coup for us to secure such a prestigious group and it delivers such a positive statement that live performance will once again reverberate through our community.”

More updates over coming months can be found at www.10parishesfestival.org.uk