The annual Made in the Cotswolds event gets underway next weekend, with a wealth of creative talent on show across locations in Chipping Campden.

Now in its tenth year, the event is a celebration of creative talent across the Cotswolds, with local artists, florists, ceramicists plus several other creative types showcasing their work.

Festival Organiser Anna Pike says the event, which runs on the weekend of 22nd-23rd September, has become a welcome addition to the town’s cultural calendar.

She said: “Made in the Cotswolds is a real feast of creativity, a celebration of all the fantastically talented local people who are based in the Cotswolds. Throughout the weekend artists and creatives will be exhibiting their work and demonstrating their talents. In the last few years the event has really grown and spread around the whole town, there will be exhibitions held in various buildings in the town centre.

“Chipping Campden has quite a lot of community events throughout the year such as the literature and music festivals. Made in the Cotswolds is another event that the people of the town have created to help bring people together.

“We’re now in our tenth year and what’s particularly pleasing to see is the increased involvement of the local community that support the event. In the first few years we weren’t too sure how popular the event would be, so it’s extremely pleasing to see visitor numbers continue to rise.

“The event was established a decade ago by artists who wanted to engage with the local community and show what handcrafted art is all about. Throughout the weekend there will be lots of opportunities for visitors to engage with our exhibiting artists and get involved in various workshops.”

Anna is a keen artist herself, although her route into painting was quite a unique one. She continued: “I didn’t have a traditional art education, science was my favourite subject at school and I didn’t study art at all. After leaving school I went to university and completed a PhD in Biomechanics. During my studies I saw a poster advertising life drawing, I went along and was absolutely hooked and haven’t looked back since. I get a lot of enjoyment out of painting, I work a lot with charcoal and soft pastel.”