The Ashby Arts Festival Creative Weekender will be launched online today (Saturday) after the main event in May had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Festival organisers say they have a wide range of contributors for the Bank Holiday platform where artists can showcase their work.

Artwork has been displayed in Ashby town centre since mid-August.

But the Festival itself has gone online to make sure it maintains its presence despite the Spring cancellation.

Margaret Jones, the festival's treasurer, told Ashby Nub News: "It's a nod to supporting the artists who might have participated in May.

"We have offered to share anything from creative people across the East Midlands - there are people from Derbyshire and Melton Mowbray.

"But there are Ashby artists and performers as well.

"It's important that we have a presence this year."

But Margaret admitted the festival's presence in the town is not as extensive as usual.

She explained: "We have the boards up already, and we wanted them up in May.

"But all the contractors we usually use were furloughed.

"The board were done, but we couldn't put them up until this month when it all lifted a bit. We did that for VJ Day instead.

"Then we decided to do something for the Bank Holiday weekend as the boards would be up by then.

"But we haven't had the chance to get anywhere near the usual number of boards up as we normally would. There would be schools and churches involved but that hasn't happened this year.

'"There would normally be between 25-30 adult boards plus a kids' workshop with 10 half size boards.

"So we haven't been able to do the children's workshop. There have probably been lots of half-finished boards in empty schools this summer.

"We've lost a lot of the community boards, it's more the solo artists who've worked from home this year.

"And as the lockdown has eased, others have been able to contribute such as the WI who have had socially distanced sessions where they can finish their work."

The Festival's website and Facebook page will be providing content that can be 'dipped into' during the holiday weekend.

Margaret added: "We have three or four artists we are publishing profiles on.

"Then we have workshops and a video by Hospice Hope which is a poetry exercise.

"We have a showreel from a Year 5 lad who wants to be an actor.

"Pudding Bag Productions, a local film company, have sent a film in and we are sharing some of the Venture Theatre's content as well."

You see the Creative Weekender on the Ashby Arts Festival Website and the Ashby Arts Festival Facebook page.