Colourful flags representing Sidmouth’s community groups and schools will be flying above the town’s streets this summer.

Up to 50 flags will be designed and made at a series of free workshops organised by Sidmouth Coastal Community Hub and Sidmouth School of Art.

The flags will be displayed above Sidmouth High Street and Fore Street during July and August.

The first flag design workshop will take place at Sidmouth Seafest this Saturday, May 18 in the Creativity on the Coast marquee at the Ham from10am until 4pm. A further 11 drop-in workshop sessions, the first five for designing flags and the following six for making them, will be held at Sidmouth Craft Hub in Mill Street, which is equipped with cutting tables and sewing machines. There will be people on hand to help with design, textile art and sewing.

Sidmouth School of Art’s guidelines for the flag designs say they should be unique and new, not an existing image or logo. They will illustrate what each group or organisation does, and should communicate civic pride and a ‘sense of place’.

The aim is to create a ‘wonderful community exhibition’ that will be added to every year, with new flags being made. Sidmouth Town Council is supporting the project and has given permission for the display wires above the streets to be used for hanging the flags.

Artistic Director Coco Hodgkinson said: “This is an exciting project for Sidmouth and we are delighted that a wide range of groups and Sidmouth schools have already signed up to take part. Many have already fed back their enthusiasm and love the idea, it’s a great collaborative approach which we hope will generate even more civic pride and interest in Sidmouth.”

To sign up for a workshop, email info@sidmouthcoastalcommunityhub.org

More information can be found on the Sidmouth School of Art website.