WORK is well underway as the finishing touches are applied to setting the stage for this weekend's Festival of Thrift.

The frugal event, originally the brainchild of designer Wayne Hemingway, takes place at Kirkleatham Museum, near Redcar, on Saturday and Sunday.

He said: "It was so important we brought it to Teesside. We’ve been asked to take it to Bristol and so many other places but as long as the community and local businesses continue to support it I can’t see a reason why we’d ever take it anywhere else.

“It brings in lots of visitors from outside the region, who maybe only think of Middlesbrough and Redcar as places where there have been major job losses, but in fact there’s loads of beauty here including the beaches of Saltburn and Redcar."

More than 130 stalls, workshops and performances will staged to help people explore the art of upcycling, craftwork and the art of reusing and getting creative.

Entry to the event is free.