AN undergraduate is returning to the land to help spread the word about the Festival of Thrift.

Jo Martin, a final year student at Teesside University, has joined the team behind the award-winning event that is being held in and around the grounds of Kirkleatham Museum and Village near Redcar on September 17 and 18.

The marketing undergraduate helps to run a family farm alongside her studies.

She said. “Being a farmer’s daughter, wife and mum, and often cash poor, I am careful with the food I buy and we eat what is in season.

“We reuse wherever possible. One example is when my parents were replacing their bath with a shower we took the bath and dug it in to the garden and it’s now used as a splash pool for the dogs.”

The festival features a host of attractions including an alternative village fete with stalls, live art, music and dance.

Stella Hall, event director, said: “It’s wonderful to have Jo and her fellow marketing student colleagues working as part of our team.

“Providing opportunities to share out the experience of being involved with the event is part and parcel of the event’s ethos. It’s a great chance to develop skills.”

As well as volunteers, organisers are also looking for singers to to take part in a pop-up choir to celebrate the history of steelmaking in the area with 170 singers to mark 170 years of industry.

Led by North-East artists, the a Cappella ensemble Mouthful, the choir will perform on each day of the festival.

The four-piece group create and perform a range of vocal material ranging from Georgian to gospel, folk to funk, including jazz and country along the way.

Taking the themes of forging, smelting and tempering as the starting point they will make new songs, re-imagine old songs and perform together.

People are invited to rehearsals at Kirkleatham on September 3 and 10 from 10am – 5pm and then September 13, 14 and 16 from 7pm – 9.30pm. The process is open to all and no experience is required – to register interest email alex@festivalofthrift.co.uk

A crowdfunding campaign has been launched aims to raise money to support the development of the Festival and maintain free entry for the event.

Organisers hope to raise £7,500 to contribute to the costs of paying artists and craftspeople, production promotion and festival administration.

To make a donation visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/the-festival-of-thrift or to become a volunteer visit www.festivalofthrift.co.uk/volunteer