TOP craft and heritage makers will be celebrated as the Salisbury Contemporary Craft and Heritage Festival returns for 2016.

The event, which is in its third year, takes place over three days from September 9 to 11 and is set to be a bigger affair than previous years and takes place on the West Lawn in the grounds of Salisbury Cathedral.

On Monday night at Salisbury Cathedral’s Refectory a special festival launch was held unveiling the events and activities featuring in this year’s festival programme. 

The festival is to feature about 100 contemporary, heritage and emerging craft makers who will be showcasing and selling their work in the Makers’ Marquee.

There will be 18 heritage crafts people providing demonstrations and 11 of those will allow visitors to have a go and make something for themselves.

The festival village is being expanded this year with new marquees including a Maker’s Talk Tent and a film tent.

Once again, the heritage tours feature in this year’s programme with many new additional tours and speakers.

Artist Sarah Hurly has been commissioned to create stories inspired by the histories of craft in Salisbury Cathedral.

Traditional oral storytelling methods form the foundation of this lively, new set of stories about the carpenters, smiths, masons and glaziers - delivered for adults and children under the storytelling tarp.

The crafts workshop tent also has a three-day programme, which is included within the cost of a festival ticket.

The programme includes Sally Dove lantern making, fragment glass painting with Ruth Spaak and a ceramic workshop with Jim Erin from the Great Pottery Throw Down.

Visitors can get stuck in and join in with a craft circle where they can learn skills in mastering material - this year the focus is on clay.

Learn to throw your own bowls and pots on the potter’s wheel in clay with international artist Mirka Golden-Hann in the craft circle tent on the Saturday and Sunday of the festival.

Enjoy fun and games for all ages with the popular heritage games and why not have a look inside the dressing up tent and check out the new selfie zone.

The festival will also feature have-a-go zones where visitors can try out different crafts, including stone-carving, pottery, felt making and workshops where you can learn spinning, weaving, braiding and cordage.

In the heritage demo zone visitors will be able to explore and see how makers create lace, spoons, felt and ceramics. Enjoy a more in-depth insight into the skills of a few of our heritage providers with spotlight talks at their stands, which will take place throughout the weekend.

Visitors of all ages can also enjoy finding out more about a range of different topics from bee keeping to trout fishing as part of A Good Reed encyclopedia corner, which is another new addition for 2016.

Tickets cover the whole weekend and include all the workshops, tours, talks and trails – as well as access to the craft marquees. Workshops can be booked in advance.

Salisbury Contemporary Craft and Heritage Festival was given £58,740 worth of funding for a new programme to extend contemporary and heritage craft opportunities.

The Craftivate programme started in June and was given the National Lottery funding through Arts Council England, which will be given over two years.

As part of the programme work from a number of groups in Salisbury will be displayed at this year’s event.

Highlights from the programme include the Schools Heritage Challenge exhibition.

Groups from six different primary schools have been working with the programme to create original felt pieces.

The festival is delivered in partnership between Salisbury Rotary Club and Salisbury Cathedral.

For tickets or more information about the festival programme go to salisburycraftfestival.org