CHRISTMAS will arrive in Clacton next month when a festive art trail takes over a variety of shops in the town centre.

Clacton Creatives is collaborating with The Grand Theatre of Lemmings to co-ordinate an exciting art trail around the seaside town to mark the 12 days of Christmas.

The event will see 12 pieces of art created by local artists placed in the shop windows of 12 businesses in the town.

The art will be displayed in the form of a window display made from card and plastic sheets to create a stained glass effect when illuminated.

Inspiration for the event comes from previous trails which have taken place in Manningtree.

This year's art trail theme is centred around Christmas songs which allows artists to either create traditional nativity scenes or more contemporary interpretations of different songs.

Each piece of work will be revealed across the 12 days of Christmas by publishing a new piece of art every night on social media alongside details of its location on social media.

These pieces of work will be photographed, promoted online and put on a printed flyer which will be published in advance of the trail. 

A spokesman for The Grand Theatre of Lemmings: "We are thrilled to see the project grow.

"We’ve done this in Manningtree for three years, and to expand to Brightlingsea and Clacton this year, with the aspiration to make it Tendring wide by 2025, is really exciting.

"We are really grateful to Tendring District Council and Arts Council England for their support in making this happen. We can’t wait to these three towns lit up with beautiful, local artwork."

There will also be a workshop at the Jaywick Martello Tower where people in the community can take part in creating a piece of art work which will be exhibited.

Students at Clacton County High School will also be given a chance to exhibit their work in the town. 

For more information head to the Clacton Creatives Facebook Page or The Grand Theatre of Lemmings Facebook Page.