The famous faces in beautiful places that have made up the 60 years of Sidmouth FolkWeek will be remembered in an eye-catching archive trail.

New for its diamond jubilee, the organisers are looking back through the annals and digging through the dark room to create an interactive record.

A £3,000 county council cash injection will also help bolster the programme with acts from around Devon, like Show of Hands’ Steve Knightley, and create a festival atmosphere around the town with flags, lights and bunting.

Festival director John Braithwaite said: “All manner of interesting, strange things have happened during the festival – remarkable happenings that will never be repeated.

“We wanted to illustrate them in places like Blackmore Gardens, Connaught Gardens and the Ham.”

“A lot of people learned their craft here – it’s how Show of Hands got going.

“We have literally tens of thousands of photos.”

He said former festival director, keen photographer and graphic designer John Dowell pitched the idea and was ‘ideal’ to do it, while Derek Schofield’s history of FolkWeek for its 50th anniversary is proving an important resource.

There will be relatively little text to accompany the images, but John said the combination will ‘hit you right between the eyes’.

More than 30 boards are being drawn up on triangular displays that will be placed around the town.

They will celebrate the colourful processions, the venues that have come and gone, and the artists who have made FolkWeek what it is.

Over the course of 60 years, the world-renowned festival has hosted the likes of Martin and Eliza Carthy, Ralph McTell, Sandra Kerr – the list goes on – all of whom are returning for this diamond year.

“I’ve been supporting FolkWeek for a number of years, but this is an important year so I’ve provided a little more funding,” said Councillor Stuart Hughes, who presented a cheque from his locality budget last month.

“It’s important to support the festival; it brings so much to the town. Long may it continue.”

To see more on the acts performing this year, from August 1 to 8, visit www.sidmouthfolkweek.co.uk.

To mark the 60th anniversary of Sidmouth FolkWeek, the Herald wants to know what it means to our readers.

If you’re interested in reviewing an event and see your name in print, email stefan.gordon@archant.co.uk.