ARTS of all kinds are being prepared for the annual Wooburn Festival which starts next month.

This year the programme has the usual wide range of music including classical, jazz, folk chamber

For word lovers there is a special evening with David Mellor, two Shakespeare plays and others.

There will also be a visual art exhibition for local and professional artists and two shows for children, Red Riding Hood and Friends and Big Book Tall Tales.

The Wooburn Festival, which runs from September 27 and throughout October, was conceived more than 30 years ago by Richard Hickox, then an Organ Scholar at Cambridge, and now one of Britain's leading orchestral conductors.

It was his idea to bring recitals by orchestras and musicians of international repute to the area.

Mr Hickox, president of the festival, said: "Although its home is Wooburn, events are now staged all over South Buckinghamshire, each venue being chosen to be the best for any particular event.

"My career prevents me from being as actively involved as I would wish, but I am proud that the seed I have sown has grown with such strong roots."

For more information on the event contact the Wooburn Festival box office on 01628 524243