BEWDLEY festival kicks off this week, with a programme packed with daytime activities.

The first Saturday of the event, on October 9, traditionally attracts many visitors.

This year, there will be free entertainment in and around Bewdley Museum and children, accompanied by an adult, can decorate ceramics, at The Melting Pot at 2.30pm.

At the same time, at Bewdley Baptist Church, a talk on the French Impressionists will be given by Anthony Slinn, who has been invited back to the festival by popular request.

On Sunday, at 2.30pm, at St Anne's Church, five members of the brass section of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, known as Brass Explosion, will present a mixed programme of music from baroque to jazz.

The same church will hold two services. The first, at 11am, will be the festival service involving Bewdley schools, including the Severnside School of Dance. Evensong, at 6pm, will feature the gospel music of Elvis Presley.

The Baptist Church will hold a series of talks during the week. On Monday, October 11, at 2.30pm, there will be The Life and Times of a Ship's Pilot, by Captain William Wells, who was invited by Cunard to be principal speaker, on the final cruise of the QE2.

On Tuesday, at 10.30am, popular personality Max Keen, will give another of his locally famous lectures, this time on Sir Francis Drake. At 2.30pm, Map Addict will be presented by Radio 4 regular, Mike Parker.

On Wednesday, at 2.30pm, Dr Kevin Leahy will share his experience of working with the Staffordshire Hoard.

On Thursday, at 10.30am, Richard Perrin's sold-out talk will be on historic houses in Bewdley and at 2.30pm there will be a concert by folk singer, songwriter and squeezebox player, John Kirkpatrick, who won BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Musician of the Year 2010.

Tickets are available from Bewdley tourist information centre or from the box office, Worcester Live by calling 01905 611427 subject to availability.

For more more information, visit bewdleyfestival.org.uk