Appledore Arts Festival

Walking around Appledore yesterday I felt empowered.

I'm not sure whether it was due to the beautiful sunshine, the location, or the festival atmosphere but it felt great.

I like the format of artists exhibiting in their own homes. You weren't led or ushered anywhere and you didn't have to view the art according to somebody else's schedule. We were at our own leisure to explore the various streets and alleyways, poke our heads into peoples homes and chat to the artists in their own environment about their work.

There was some fantastic artwork on display ranging from oil painting to fabric work, to installations and film, and all from a range of artists, both young and old.

I liked the way you could view a collection of artwork, then wonder the streets discussing it before finding your next informal, mini exhibition. And every house you entered was sure to bring you a whole different style of work which tackled the festivals theme of 'Fire And Fury' from an entirely different point of view.

I think it would be nice to adopt this relaxed format for other forms of festival. Imagine a music festival where you weren't choosing between various stages or tents, but found yourself exploring a quaint sea-side town, where musicians held regular and informal gigs to small audiences in their front rooms.

I think that would be fantastic.