CHEERING up Crediton from Tuesday, May 28 will be more than 50 handmade brightly coloured flags and 100 metes of bunting.
The flags will be placed on shop and business fronts along Crediton High Street, Union Road, Market Street and around the Town Square.
Each of the flags has been individually designed to represent a local shop or community group.
This will be the 12th year that flags have adorned the town.
In addition, 100 metres of bunting will decorate the Town Square.
“The flags have become an integral part of summer in Crediton,” said Rosemary Stephenson, who co-ordinates the annual project for Crediton Heart Project.
In a letter to businesses, she said: “Some of you already have flags or have made new ones this year. Others are joining the project for the first time. If you have previously hosted a flag for a community group or former business, we are hoping you are happy to do so again this year. If not, do let me know as soon as possible so we can find homes for the flags without a shop.
“We are hugely grateful to Crediton Town Council for financial support and the Rotary Club of Crediton Boniface, who provide a team of volunteers to install and remove the flags.
“The flags will remain up for about six weeks.”
Rosemary previously explained that the Flag Project started in 2013 as a one-off event to adorn the town during the Crediton Festival. But it proved so popular that it has run every year since.
“We wanted to brighten up the town with some striking artwork which would celebrate the diversity of its commercial and cultural life,” explains Rosemary.
“Rather than buying printed flags we were inspired by the Moretonhampstead Flag Festival to involve the community in making our own.
“We had no idea when we started this project that we would still be making flags 12 years later. In the first year we made 40 flags and we have added to our collection every year. Of course the flags become worn and damaged by the weather, so each year we have to repair or replace some of them.”
The flags are made from colourful ripstop nylon, offcuts supplied by a hot air balloon company.
Each one is individually designed to represent a shop or group, with the help of local artist Charlotte Turner, who has been the creative director since the project started.