A day of activities, workshops and creative performances has taken place in Criccieth to increase footfall in the town.

The event is part of the Criccieth Unique Streets Project 2019, which aims to increase the amount of visitors to the high street, and took place at the Lion Hotel gardens and the Nature Garden on Saturday, 3 August.

The theme of the event was Robert Graves’ 1929 poem, Welsh Incident, which is set in Criccieth, and a poem full of imagination and supernatural images that provides ample opportunities for all kinds of artists young and old.

Organisers said that around 1,000 visitors and locals enjoyed the afternoon of workshops and performances, face painting, storytelling and magic tricks to the sounds of a local silver band, reflecting an incident in the poem.

The event provided ample opportunity for people to enjoy the town’s shops, businesses, cafés, restaurants and bars, and the high street was brimming with people throughout the afternoon.

And there is more to come as an important part of the project will be the creation of a sculpture to be sited on the Maes in Criccieth as a means of attracting attention to the town and adding value to the visitor experience.

A competition to design a piece inspired by the poem was won by Howard Bowcott, of Penrhyndeudraeth, a local sculptor of international status whose creation, in the view of the selection panel, captured the essence of the poem.

It will be unveiled in October.

See this week’s north editions for the full story, in shops and online on Thursday