The organisers of the Wye Valley River Festival Ross Day have announced a whole host of events which will take place both in the town and by the river on Sunday, May 4th, 2014.

The day is part of the AONB's Wye Valley River Festival which will be held over three weeks from Hay on Wye on April 26th through to Chepstow on May 18th.

The events in Ross will celebrate the river but also the town's association with the hedgehog.One of the organisers, Yolande Watson, said: "Ross has got such wonderful wildlife and this is a real chance to celebrate that fact, but also a chance to celebrate the work of volunteers, our local history and the river. The day will focus on our history with lots of fun things to do and see."

Despite the AONB missing out on several arts grants to fund the festival, Councillor Caroline Utting has rallied lots of the various groups and societies in Ross to organise their own events with a view to co-ordinating them all to create Ross' own unique contribution to the festival.

So far the confirmed events include a river pageant with a flotilla of decorated boats; historical characters like John Kyrle being brought back to life; the Civic Society will be performing an historic re-enactment scene down on the dock by the Hope &?Anchor pub, with cargo being carried up and down the river; Walkers Are Welcome will be giving historical, guided walks; there will be a river-related, Georgian-themed event on the Ropewalk; St Mary's Church will be having their own 'Wonder of the Wye' mini-festival celebrating the talents of Ross people; the Rotary Club have an on-going school literary project and will be working with X-entricity to recreate the stories.

Cllr Utting said: "There is a need to link the river side to the town centre and we are hoping a range of events in both locations will mean there is a nice flow of traffic between the two.

"That's not always easy to achieve so we will need more sponsorship and volunteers to make this work. We would encourage people to come forward now with ideas and anything else they can do to make a positive contribution."

Yolande has been organising a raft of hedgehog-related events, many of which will be held in the library. These include hedgehog stories, a treasure hunt, celebrity-filled activities including a book launch by Hugh Warwick (one of the UK's leading experts on hedgehog), a questions and answer session following the screening of 'Project Wild Thing' at the Phoenix Theatre with film director David Bond and an exhibition of botanical paintings alongside an all-day workshop with Lizzie Harper, a well-respected and published botanical illustrator.

Yolande said: "I would encourage anyone who is fascinated or passionate about hedgehogs and wants to get involved in hedgehog-themed activities for the Festival to get in touch with me."

Contact Yolande on 01989 563790, or if you are interested in sponsoring, or volunteering at the Wye Valley River Festival Ross Day get in contact with Ross Town Council on 01989 562373.

For more stories in full please see this week's Ross Gazette.