A new project will see a number of animations projected onto landmarks and shopfronts of a town in the region.

Animating Hexham, which will take place between September 9-12, will see a number of the town’s shops and recognisable landmarks lit up by several animations that will be created by local families and artists.

The project, which is funded by Historic England and takes inspiration from the heritage of the town, plans to both remind people of memories of the past while also hoping to create new stories as well.

The scheme has also already seen six professional artists confirmed to be taking part including Ed Merlin Murray – a Northumberland-based illustrator, artist and animator and Erin McGarth – a comic artist who lives in the town having graduated from Glasgow’s School of Art.

“We were really impressed by the quality and range of artists who responded to the open call and we can’t wait to see their work projected onto our beautiful town centre, alongside animations by local families,” said Katy Taylor, Artistic Director/Chief Executive of Queen’s Hall Arts and Chair of the Hexham Culture Network.

“We hope that Animating Hexham will inspire people to share their memories, get creative and feel a sense of ownership of Hexham’s rich heritage, as well as thinking about the future of our historic town."

Also confirmed to be taking part in the four-day event are Petra Szemán, a Hungarian moving image artist who is now based in Newcastle, Ronan Devlin, a North East based artist and animator Rozi Fuller, who has worked on a number of TV projects including for both the BBC and Channel 4.

“It’s wonderful that we’re able to fund such a worthwhile family-focussed project through the Hexham High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ),” added Jules Brown from Historic England.

“I hope these projections will bring a bit of life and colour to the town centre as the evenings get darker in the autumn.”

The project is being managed by the Hexham Culture Network on behalf of the Hexham High Street Heritage Action Zone, with the group hoping to help rejuvenate the town centre and make it a more attractive place to visit and both live and work in too.

The animations will form part of a trail when the event takes place, with the stating point being in the town’s marketplace.

More details about which of the town’s locations will be used are to be revealed in August.