The artistic skills of Ashfield residents is being showcased in art trails that are brightening up town centres.

Following on from the success of Ashfield Virtual Art Fest, organised and produced by local resident Claire Finn in May, Ashfield District Council has installed hundreds of pieces of art around the town centres for residents and visitors to enjoy.

The artwork includes primary school children’s drawings, secondary school photography and art from Sutton Community Academy and Ashfield School, Kirkby, as well as paintings by local artists, and winning photographs from the Discover Ashfield photography competition.

The artwork is situated in various locations throughout town centres, including Kirkby Plaza and Portland Square, Sutton, plus on railings across the district. The trails will be displayed until the winter.

The council received £114,000 from the government’s Welcome Back Fund and part of that has been used on a timetable of events and attractions, including the art trail.

Coun Samantha Deakin, cabinet member for Parks, Town Centres and Neighbourhood Services, said: “I would like to say thank you to everyone who contributed their art, and to Claire for allowing us to build on her great work. We hope that everyone gets a chance to go out to enjoy finding some of the art.

“We are pleased that the Welcome Back Fund is allowing us to explore new ways of attracting people to our town centres, like this Art Trail, the Food and Drink Festival and the Summer Strings events. We want residents and visitors to feel safe when coming back into our town centres, but we also want them to enjoy it.”

Claire, director of Ashfield Virtual Art Fest, added: “The virtual festival saw a great response and highlighted the amazing talent in Ashfield. I am excited to see a continuation of the celebration for the coming months.”