THE spirit of Bridport will be celebrated when puppets march through the town next month.

Students from local schools and members of community groups have been busy making puppets and colourful structures with local artist Holly Miller. The creations will come together to form the Spirit of Bridport parade - labelled as a 'celebration of our town and everything so special about it'.

Organiser Crystal Johnson said: "This started a small idea to create a parade about Bridport but has grown into something truly amazing.

"The work created by local schools and groups has far exceeded all my expectations and the parade really will be something not to be missed."

She added: "There is still an opportunity to be involved with the parade as we are looking for volunteers to help carry creations and walk with the parade on the afternoon of Saturday, May 13.

"It’s going to be a fantastic event so please do get in touch and be a part of it”.

The parade will leave from Gundry Lane at 2.30pm to Millennium Green, with a brief stop at Bucky Doo Square.

The procession will be led by a12ft 'Spirit of Bridport' figure. The parade includes historic buildings, festival faces, market stalls, fishing boats and much more. Samba Panache, a community samba band from Bournemouth will accompany the spectacle.

Market Mania, the final creative workshop, will be held at the Lyric Theatre on Saturday, May 6 from 10am until 12.30pm. The workshop is open to everyone aged 10 to 110 and will include the creation and painting of market produce for the parade. Email millerholly1@yahoo.co.uk to book a place at the free workshop.

The Spirit of Bridport parade is part of a programme of events called the Bridport Season of Heritage- made possible by the Heritage Lottery’s ‘celebrate’ fund- taking place across the town and surrounding area this spring.

All Season of Heritage events are listed on Bridport Museum’s Facebook page and a printed programme will be available very soon from Bridport Tourist Information Centre and the Local History Centre in Gundry Lane.

If you are interested in taking part in the event, contact Crystal Johnson by emailing crystal@crystaljohnson.co.uk or calling 01308 458703.