A VIBRANT new arts festival will be launched in Trowbridge this year and organisers believe it will “leave a legacy that the town has never seen before”.

Trowbridge Arts Festival will run during September and feature music, theatre, fine art, photography, installation art, dance, poetry and literary works.

Organisers say the town will come to life as events take place in dozens of venues, from the Civic Centre to shop floors and pubs.

One of the first venues to be announced was bookshop Waterstones in The Shires shopping centre.

The shop will be a cultural hub for poetry reading, book signings and performances around the shelves.

Manager Sara Thompson said: “We will be getting actors in and people will be able to discover the arts in an unusual way.

“We’re also hoping to get some big names in the literary world down, because we want to re-engage people with books; perhaps those who don’t normally read or those that have fallen out of love with books.”

David Shepard, the musical director of the Wiltshire Rural Music School, has revealed that world-renowned clarinettist Michael Collins will be in the festival line-up.

He said: “We have got half a dozen events planned already, including a talk by local historian Dr Alan Dodge about the work of Thomas Hardy.”

Shazuli Iqbal, chairman of the Wiltshire Islamic Cultural Centre at Bridge House in Stallard Street, is keen to make the festival diverse, to encourage people to discover things they would not normally experience.

He said: “We’ll be doing Muslim calligraphy workshops, we’ll have a Muslim singer and we’ll have delicious foods from around the world for people to try.

“We really want to share this with people, to help break down barriers between communities.”

The event follows a well-received 2011 free festival.

Trowbridge firms are already investing in the festival. Fore Street web design firm Web Creation UK is setting up a website to promote the festival.

David Baker, president of the Trowbridge Chamber of Commerce, said: “We are fully behind the festival. This is just what Trowbridge needs and, in turn, it will help the businesses here.”

Andrew Bryant, chairman of Trowbridge Arts Festival, said: “We believe Trowbridge Arts Festival will leave a legacy that the town has never seen before.

“Within a few years, we want to see Trowbridge promoted as an arts town, the cultural hub of West Wiltshire, because actually, when you look, it is already culturally rich. This is our chance to put it on the map.”

For more information about getting involved, call Tracy Sullivan, the arts development manager, on 01225 765072.