THE countdown is on to a celebratory day for Oswestry.

The Love Oswestry festival on Saturday, February 12 will highlight all that is great in the town through music, poetry and art, culminating in a special lantern parade.

And ahead of the big event, town mayor, Cllr Mark Jones, dropped into the Memorial Hall at the weekend to see some of the lantern making going on in preparation which have been run by Designs in Mind.

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There will be lots of spare lanterns available meaning an open invitiation to come along and join in the fun which begins from 4pm at The Memorial Hall to collect lanterns and the parade will start from Festival Square at around 5.30pm, ending up at Bailey Head.

Bring a torch, but no naked flames.

The Love Oswestry festival comes thanks to funding from Historic England and is organised by the Cultural Consortium as part of the Oswestry High Street Heritage Action Zone project.

The event will see live music, guided tours and art workshops taking place, before the sunset lantern procession brings the event to a close.

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A love heart town trail, an official opening and a drumming workshop will also play major roles in the festival – a full agenda is available on their social media and on VisitOswestry's website.