Organisers behind the award-winning National Festival of Making are looking for volunteers to pitch in and help make it the best year yet!

From lending a hand at one of the many workshops to acting as a tour guide and gathering feedback, there’s lots of different ways that volunteers can get involved over the weekend of June 15 and 16.

The festival, the biggest event in Blackburn’s calendar, stretches right across the town centre, Cathedral Quarter and beyond.

There’s everything from have-a-go workshops to food stalls, international performance, art exhibits, markets, music and more.

Last year, more than 100 volunteers helped 40,000 visitors enjoy the weekend and with the 2019 event promising to be even bigger, brighter and bolder, it’s all hands on deck.

Martin Eden, Director of Environment at Blackburn with Darwen Council, which sponsors the event, said:

The National Festival of Making is a fantastic event with a packed programme of events.

A huge amount of work goes into organising it each year and volunteers play a really important part in making sure the weekend is a huge success.

People can help in lots of different ways and they can commit to just a couple of hours over the weekend or volunteer across the two full days.

It’s a really good experience and we offer full training, will help with the cost of travel expenses and there’s a free lunch up for grabs for all those who sign-up.

The volunteers, known as Festival Makers, will be invited to a training session and will be given a National Festival of Making t-shirt.

There’s the chance to meet new people, have fun, learn about making and get hands-on experience of being involved in a festival.

Martin Eden added:

The National Festival of Making is putting Blackburn on the map and provides a big boost for the local economy.

By volunteering, there’s the chance to get involved in something really special in the borough – it’s a fantastic opportunity to give something back.

The event has scooped three top awards, including Best Non-Music Festival at the UK Festival Awards 2018.

Volunteers must be aged 16 and older.To find out more about the festival, volunteering and to sign-up to be involved, visit: www.festivalofmaking.co.uk/about/volunteer