A FLOWER festival, theatrical productions and a carnival are just a few of the events planned for next year's Highworth Festival.

The festival will be officially launched on Saturday, January 10 at the town council offices.

Residents are invited to enjoy a coffee with members of the festival committee and find out what is planned for the rest of the year.

Called Highworth Alive, this year's festival will be a celebration of community life in the town.

The first major event is guaranteed to banish any post-Christmas blues.

The Proteus Theatre Company is staging a fun-filled production of Colonel Cody and his Flying Machine.

The show starts at 7pm at Northview Primary School on Saturday, January 20.

Members of the Highworth Evening Women's Institute will also be treading the boards.

The group is putting on a play called Votes for Women about the suffragette movement, which starts at 7.30pm on Friday, January 30.

Various events will be held throughout the year, culminating in a two-day carnival in September.

Lynn Vardy, secretary of the Festival Committee, said: "Each festival is different, and each one is always successful.

"We have a strong community spirit in Highworth, and the festival brings everyone together."