For eight years community groups have worked with the events team at Broxtowe Borough Council to make the month-long party arty!

The Eastwood Arts Festival Steering Group has worked with local schools and clubs, Notts County Council, Eastwood Town Council and the town's theatre support group to bring people together through creative and fun activities.

And here we have the first week's events covered so you can plan your movements during the festival:

• Throughout July Alan Clayden will host a photography exhibition that takes viewers on a journey through China, from Beijing to Hong Kong.
It will be open daily from 10am until 5pm in the Rainbow Gallery at Durban House.

• And on Wednesday, July 2, stained glass will be on the agenda. From 10am until 1pm at Plumptre Hall on Church Walk, Eastwood, professional stained glass artists Stella Chadwick and Lucy Hall will teach the ESCAPE - Eastwood Senior Citizens Arts Project Enterprise - group the basic techniques of the traditional artform, including glass cutting and soldering.

All participants will create their own stained glass star to take home and their work in progress will be available for viewing between 2pm and 3.30pm. There will also be opportunities to buy small gifts or make orders.

• New for the 2008 arts festival will be a comedy night at The Library acoustic lounge bar on Scargill Walk. Recognisable from Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy, Justin Moorhouse will headline the event with an Edinburgh Festival preview show. He will be joined by three more great stand-ups on an evening hosted by MC Rex Purnell.

Tickets priced £5 are available in advance from the Library or Phoenix Cue Sports, or £6 on the door.

• The lively local marching musicians, the Phoenix Band, will play a selection of music at Colliers Wood from 6.30pm until 8pm on Thursday, July 3 and 10.

The 36-strong band is going from strength to strength with five saxophone players, nine trumpet players and six drummers.
Call Sara on 07975 789154.

• On Friday, July 4, Maureen Lowe of the Arts Group in Eastwood will be leading an outdoor sketching and painting day at Langley Mill Basin Canal, from 10am until 4pm. Beginners are welcome.
Call Maureen on 01773 716786 for details.

For the next month we will be bringing you details of the latest events taking place as part of the Eastwood Arts Festival, with plenty of fantastic pictures to illustrate the 2008 event.

If you would like our photographer to visit your event, contact our newsdesk on 0115 944 6160.
But if you need any moreinformation from the organisers, you can call the arts and events team at Broxtowe Borough Council on 0115 917 3695.