JUNE 10: A mystery celebrity guest could be a star attraction at North Wiltshire Festival 2004, thanks to extra money coming in to the event.

Support for the two-yearly festival of business, community and leisure is high and with an extra £8,000 in the budget to play with, organisers from North Wiltshire District Council are thinking of reinvesting the money in a special guest.

But they are remaining tight lipped about any possible celebrity shortlist.

"We can't say who it might be, but I will say we are well aware that soap stars are very popular," said district council spokesman Paul Lancaster.

The festival takes place on July 16 and 17 and aims to celebrate the diversity of life in North Wiltshire.

The free festival will take place in Monkton Park, Chippenham, and a highlight of the event will be a concert featuring Abba tribute band Bjorn Again, which is expected to attract an audience of more than 20,000.

The festival is likely to cost around £125,000 to stage, but sponsorship and the sale of exhibition space has been brisk and an extra £8,000 has been raised.

"We're not in the business of making a profit with the festival, we want to celebrate North Wiltshire, so any extra money will be invested in the event to make it even better," said festival co-ordinator Graham Wilson.

The possibility of a celebrity guest is not the only change on the cards for this year's festival.

A new area called the Improving North Wiltshire Village will bring together groups, activities and displays relating to protecting and enhancing the district's green and pleasant land.

Based on an area in front of the district council offices, the village will include a recycling assault course, a tourism stand, the wheeled bin roadshow and a display by the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust.

The trust will focus on composting, with lots of information and guidance on managing home composting and cutting down on the amount of waste dumped in landfill sites.

Children will find plenty to do, with a series of workshops by Junk Art on using recycled materials to make musical instruments.

Schools will also be invited to take part in an art competition, and have been challenged to create an artwork using recycled materials.

The lucky winning school will receive a computer, donated by 3D Computers.

The Community Village has also expanded, and now has sold out of exhibition space.

Calne, Corsham, Chippenham, Malmesbury and Wootton Bassett town councils will all be attending, keen to promote the merits of the towns and showcase local business.

A stage will be set up in the middle of the community village with a busy programme of events and displays.

"The Community Village is all set to provide something for all the family to enjoy," said Mr Wilson.

"We have had to increase the space available within the area and demand has been incredible, with all 40 spaces now sold out.

"I have been impressed with the range of community groups that have come forward to showcase themselves. It certainly will be a busy weekend for them all."

The Business Village is also proving popular, with 50 per cent of the exhibition space sold, and the remaining spaces selling at the rate of two to three a day. Mr Wilson predicted the business village would be full up by the end of June, and highlighted the importance this year of exhibitors being interactive with the festival goers.

Westinghouse Rail Systems, for example, is bringing a huge climbing wall to the event for budding mountaineers to try out as well as information about the company.

"Many businesses are signing up because they want to give something back to the community. They are local employers, with many members of staff who live and work in the area," said Mr Wilson.

A stage will also be set up in the middle of the business village, where all sorts of displays will take place, including gardening demonstrations by Whitehall Garden Centre and cookery demonstrations.

A full programme of events will be drawn up next week, and the festival webpage will be relaunched today at the district council site, www.northwilts.gov.uk

Another innovation this year will be a festival radio station, set up for three days and run by the staff of Moonraker FM, to keep people up to date with festival news and events, parking and traffic, as well as the sounds and scenes of the festival itself.