HEBDEN Bridge nestles quietly on the Yorkshire side of the Pennine Hills and is perfect for a relaxed drive out. Here countryside meets suburbia: you can wander around boutique style shops or take a walk along the bleak moors.

Once a mill town, the town slumped in the '60s only to rise like a phoenix some years later.

Hebden Bridge is a honey pot of creative activity, inspired perhaps by its literary history ' Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes and the Brontes all have connections with the area.

Nowadays contemporary artists, writers, photographers, musicians, and New Age activists swank alongside the odd city type who wants to get away from it all.

The festival is a showcase of everything Hebden has to offer.

Scheduled so far are street performances, exhibitions, theatre, and readings by published writers.

Illustrator and national treasure Quentin Blake has work on show here and will give a talk on Thu July 21, (Artsmill 5.30pm) book early as it is expected to sell out.
Work on show by lesser known artists include an inaccessible Graffiti Garden, to be viewed with binoculars, and Surface Tension, by Sarah Eyre a local photographer whose work has previously been exhibited in Castlefield and Manchester City Galleries.

Green fingered types can enjoy other people's private gardens, the most spectacular of which will open up to the public.

For those who want to witness the inner workings of artist studios, wanderers are welcome to walk in and have a gander at work in progress and on display.

A range of literature events will be taking place including a reading by poet Helen Clare, whose collection Mollusc was recently published to critical acclaim by Manchester based Comma Press.

Helen will be reading alongside prizewinning poet Chris Woods at The Blue Pig, Midgehole, Sat 9 at 6pm.

To see more details on these and other events and to book in advance visit the website listed below or call 01422 842684

Hebden Bridge Arts Festival, Sat 25 to July 10

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