TICKETS are now on sale for Okehampton Arts Week which runs from July 15-21 and promises to be the major highlight in this year's event calendar.

Stars from 1970s legend Roy Wood to Zimbabwe rhythm group Chimanimani, tribute acts and a host of local bands will feature on the musical front with puppet shows, workshops, exhibitions and other attractions to entice all the family.

Okehampton Arts and Music Festival Committee has spent two years working on the project which it hopes will exceed the popularity of the 2000 event.

The week, once again, will culminate in a 'Party in the Park' which on the last occasion drew more than 1,000 people and this year will be incorporated into a day long event to celebrate the re-opening of Simmons Park after a major refurbishment.

Committee chairman Alan King is hoping local businesses will become involved by making a small donation to sponsor the event, as they did two years ago.

Ticket sales will also help fund the event and Mr King said the prices had been kept to a minimum so everybody had a chance of going to something.

'The maximum price is £12.50 which is for the Roy Wood concert,' he said.

'Unfortunately because the First Aid concert earlier this year was cancelled people may be a bit wary of buying tickets for arts week.

'I want to assure them here and now that none of the arts week events will be cancelled.'

He said this local event was not on the same scale as concerts organised by First Aid and it was being billed as one big party for the community organised by the community.

Tickets are on sale from the Community Office at Okehampton College, Donalds Menswear and Millennium Music. Programmes will be available within the next two weeks.