The team behind an annual arts celebration that attracts a crowd of 50,000 each year hopes people will sign up to help during Volunteers Week.

Saltaire Festival runs over ten days in September and planning is already well under way. But organisers say help is needed to make it another success.

Volunteers Week, which runs until June 7 and is in its 30th year, celebrates the contribution of millions of volunteers across the UK.

Saltaire Festival volunteer co-ordinator Liz Milner said the week was a reminder of the vital role community helpers played in enabling local causes to flourish and benefit others.

She said the World Heritage Site festival was an example of a major community event that would not happen without volunteers.

It is run on a not-for-profit basis by a small team with a range of skills. The team is holding an information session later this month to show what’s on offer.

Miss Milner said: “People can join us for a drink, meet experienced and new volunteers and find out more about opportunities at the festival.

“We are grateful for as much or as little time as people can offer and we can make use of lots of different skills and experience – whether volunteers want to help with planning and organising that goes on in the background throughout the year or concentrate on festival time, which is always busy.

“During the festival some volunteers prefer to be front-of-house, as stewards for events or greeting visitors and helping them to find their way around. We also have lots of jobs behind the scenes, such as technical support, and we always need help with local deliveries and distribution of the our programme and other marketing materials.

“We’re able to offer volunteers formal certification, so if you want to improve your CV or try out a new skill, the festival can be a great way to do this.”

This year’s festival is from September 3 to 21 and will feature music, arts, exhibitions, markets and family fun.

Volunteers can register at www.saltairefestival.co.uk or by emailing volunteers@saltairefestival.co.uk. The information session is at 7.30pm on Thursday, June 26, at the village’s Caroline Social Club.