MORETONHAMPSTEAD will be ablaze with colour from February 19, as the town's first ever flag festival will transform the streets. 

More than 30 stunning flags have been designed and made by residents of the town as part of a community project. 

The flag festival will coincide with half term week, culminating in the town's third food, drink and arts festival on March 5.

Since early November, Moretonhampstead residents have been getting creative in a series of free workshops.  By the time of the festival, 800 hours of work will have been put in by volunteer flag makers to create the huge, colourful flags. 

Andrea Foxwell, one of the project leaders, said:  'This has been such an inspiring project to be involved in. 

'Each flag is very different but they are unified in bringing to life what it means to live in the town. 

'We've had a diverse cross-section of the community at the workshops, from individuals, to representatives of community groups and local businesses. 

'Many of these people had never sewn before so it's been fantastic to see what an imaginative response the project has encouraged from the community.'

The unique flags are made from recycled fabric; discarded tents left at festival sites washed, ironed and made as good as new — one or two of the flags even sport a tent toggle — and off-cuts from the Cameron Balloons Factory in Bristol.

The tent fabric is sourced through seasonal work undertaken by the woodland community at Steward Wood. They also grew, and made the flag-poles. 

Open to everyone, the workshops were made possible with support from Moretonhampstead Development Trust, and major funding from Dartmoor Sustainability Fund, Making It Happen Teignbridge Partnership, and Devon County Council.  

Workshop leaders, Veronica Gould and Andrea Foxwell, intend to carry on with the project, so that gradually more and more people participate in creating these unique works of art. 

It is hoped that this will become an annual display of colour and a celebration of Moretonhampstead at the end of a long winter, heralding in the Spring with a blaze of colour, and giving an extra visual 'bite' to the Food, Beer and Arts Festival. 

For more information contact Andrea Foxwell on [email protected]">[email protected] or call 01647 440336 or 07870 142393.

l Some of the flags which will be flown at the festival are pictured above.