THERE were celebrations in an East Cornwall village this week as a £5,000 grant was secured for the 2010 Calstock Festival.

Brought back from the brink last year the green-theme festival was put on by a team of enthusiastic first-timers and this year promises to be something really special.

Central to the event will be the debut of junk band 'Little Beat', mentored and trained by Alex Laur from 'Big Beat', a highly successful junk band which is now known worldwide.

A call is going out to young people aged between 9 and 18 who would like to be part of the new band — workshops begin tonight (Thursday) from 6pm to 8pm in Calstock Village Hall and the more people the merrier.

Big Beat has made its name through making music out of junk, from dustbin lids to shopping trolleys and water pipes, and Little Beat will be following in its footsteps, headlining the festival. There will be ten weeks of rehearsals in the run-up to the event in June.

The grant is from the Cornwall Community Foundation and Andy Young from the Calstock Festival Collective said it was great news: 'The funding will allow us to do a lot more this year. The Little Beat junk band is a great project but we will also have a festival film-making project and an alternative energy cinema project which will run by solar panels in the football field.

'There is funding to provide a better stage and a local food stall. We will have a marquee and cooking gear and be making food with local ingredients.'

Willow sculptures, art workshops, storytelling, local artists and entertainers will all feature — anyone who can contribute in terms of volunteering or talent should email: [email protected]">[email protected]