MUSIC lovers will flock to the Allen Valleys this weekend to see folk favourite Kathryn Tickell.

The critically-acclaimed singer and musician will headline the Allen Valleys Folk Festival, performing alongside her new youth band, Superfolkus.

But the North Tyne musician will not be the only star attraction at the three-day event, which gets under way today.

Now in its third year, the annual event is growing in stature, and organisers have secured a line-up of top talent from across the UK.

The latest offering includes Hebridean band Eabhal. The four-piece band, which hails from the Isle of Uist, has a local link, as it includes Allendale’s Nicky Kirk on the guitar.

The programme will kick-off this evening with self-styled band Stick in the Wheel and fiddle and pipes specialists Awry.

Tomorrow will see several acts take to the stage, from Reely Ceol and Wayward Jane, to local acts The Brothers Gillespie and The Spectacles.

Master of the English concertina, Alistair Anderson; bassist Roberto Cassani; guitarist Nick Harper; and upbeat duo The Hut People, will all perform.

Tomorrow evening will see youth band Cream Tees offer instuments from the cello, fiddle and guitar, to the flute, viola and keyboard.

Eabhal’s slot will also be tomorrow evening, as will that of London-based collective The Turbans.

Father and daughter Tim and Rhona Dalling will set the ball rolling on Sunday afternoon, before Kathryn Tickell and her band Superfolkus will wrap up the festival in style.

Kathryn, a fine exponent of the Northumbrian Pipes, will be joined by six young musicians adding guitars, mandolins, fiddles, keyboards, percussion, accordion and vocals to the mix.

The folk festival will take place at Allendale Village Hall, Allendale Primary School and the town’s St Cuthbert’s Church.

There will also be workshops in circle dancing, clog dancing, needle felting, kite making, ukulele and more.

For tickets and more information about the performers, workshops and venues, visit www.avff.co.uk.

The festival has received backing from the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership and the Heritage Lottery Fund, to support it through its early years.

It is however looking to stand on its own two feet, and has secured a key sponsorship deal with estate agents Red Hot Property, which has offices in Hexham and Prudhoe.