One of Wales' newest and most ambitious festivals returns to Usk this week (starting Thursday June 27).

Spread over ten days and encompassing nearly forty events, the festival has been called a 'paragon of community entrepreneurship' primarily due to its ability to construct a programme of events to rival those run by much larger towns.

The festival welcomes a foodies' market for the first time, along with a cookery theatre where the likes of TV chef Matt Tebbutt, who has chosen the event to launch his new cookbook, will be demonstrating and where MP David Davies and AM Nick Ramsay will have a cookery lesson courtesy of the theatre's sponsors Harts Barn Cookery School.

The headline concert in the unique venue of John Lawson's Circus Big Top, which last year attracted a sell-out audience for jazz legends Kenny Ball and Acker Bilk, features Wales' very own West End star Sophie Evans.

Sophie will be performing on Wednesday July 3 in a show that will double as a fund-raiser for the festival's featured charity 'Care for Casualties'.

The festival will also see the launch of the debut CD of 17-year-old Ellie singer songwriter Burchell-Haslett.

Ellie, who has a distinctive style - accompanying herself on piano and joined by a backing band has been working on her debut album 'Worth a Little Something', engineered by Mike Cornford at the Usk-based M4Music Studios, since last December and it will soon be available from iTunes and Amazon. 

Ellie will be launching her album on Friday July 5, at The Inbetween.

"I'm very excited to be releasing my CD at my local festival, which makes it all the more special," she said. "I'm very grateful to all the people who always support me in my acting and singing. I've always been very enthusiastic about performing and stage work, and hope to establish a career in the performing arts. It's great to be given this opportunity to share my music". 

Ellie has recently been accepted onto the Acting Diploma at the South Gloucestershire and Stroud College in Bristol, which she will start in September. 

Ellie is well-known for her involvement in local arts groups having performed with Gwent Young People's Theatre, Usk Panto Players, Usk Brass Band, and Is it? Theatre Workshop.