CELEBRITIES including Tom Jones, Sting and Emma Thompson will be giving some two-dimensional support to a Festival of the Stars being held in Grasmere at the weekend, reports Jennie Dennett.

Donated signed photographs from them and many other stars of the stage and screen will be featured in an auction during the village’s festival on November 29 and 30.

The event, the first of its kind for Grasmere, was dreamed up by the Grasmere Trades Association to give the village a boost after the trials of foot-and-mouth, the temporary closure of its main public toilet and a drop in the numbers of international visitors.

Organisers took inspiration from Wordsworth for their theme and his description of their church and cottages as “clustered like stars”. Residents will embellish shops, streets and homes with paper and plastic stars and plenty of fairy lights.

Events over the weekend will include street entertainment, an antiques fair, a treasure hunt around the shops, a visit from Peter Rabbit and a children’s colouring competition. A Made in Cumbria marquee selling local crafts will also be in place over the weekend.

Then at 2.30pm on Sunday, at Grasmere shop Craglands, entertainer Daz Albright, Friend of the Stars, will be overseeing proceedings at the auction of star photographs and celebrity goodies, some complete with messages of support.

Barry Norman has donated a signed copy of his book offering “best wishes to the Grasmere Festival of Stars”; Lorraine Kelly donated a signed photograph with a note saying “What a lovely idea. I hope the weekend of stars goes well”; and Grasmere’s most famous resident Sting has also contributed an autographed picture. Many of those who have donated items have visited the village in the past. Magician Paul Daniels simply wrote: “I love Grasmere”.

“The village is pulling together to put on a very special show for the weekend to highlight how much there is still to do in Grasmere over the winter,” said organiser Christine Shaw from Craglands. “The event has really inspired people to brighten up the village with hundreds of stars and we hope it will inspire people to visit and see what we have to offer.”