CHAINSAW jugglers, living statues and sword swallowers are just some of the acts who will be taking to the streets in Ringwood on May 18.

Fanfare for Spring has organised the International Festival of Street Performance Art, which it hopes will bring a taste of Covent Garden to Ringwood.

And now Mr Bettle, the man behind the brainchild, is calling for individual performers who may like to perform on the one-day spectacular.

The festival has been launched after weeks of planning by a group of friends under the umbrella of the town’s Rotary Club and will include performers from Ringwood’s twin town Pont Audemer, along with acts from Poland and India.

Mr Bettle said: “The shopkeepers are reacting favourably and some are organising their own entertainments.

“We have secured many different types of acts, particularly from groups, but there is still plenty of space for individual performers like buskers and poets.

“The idea of having a Covent Garden or Edinburgh Fringe-type festival in Ringwood has been festering for years, to bring performers to the public rather than the public having to buy tickets to go to the theatre.

“This will give all the creative types, of which there are many in Ringwood and beyond, the opportunity to do their thing, be it singing, dancing, drama, reading poetry or telling stories.

“But importantly, this event will bring people into Ringwood, who will be impressed with the rich mixture of culture and history.”

Mr Bettle said that he hoped the event will go some way to replace the disbanded Ringwood Festival, which was scrapped late last year after 15 years of drawing thousands of people to the town.

It was set up by the late Danny Cracknell in 1997, who presided over the event until his death in 2008.

To support Fanfare for Spring call Mr Bettle on 01425 489350 or email gill@bettles.net.