Ashby Arts Festival

31/10/2026

Happy Halloween from all of us at Ashby Arts Festival! 🕷️

Whether you’re carving pumpkins, painting faces, making costumes by hand or decorating the house — today is basically a creativity festival of its own. And we are absolutely here for it.

Show us what you’ve made this Halloween — costumes, carvings, decorations, artwork. Drop your photos in the comments and let’s see what Ashby’s creative community has been up to 🎨

Have a spooky one! ✨

22/10/2026

Congratulations to InspireYouth Collective for your National award!

🏆🎉 FOUR AWARDS… AND OUR FIRST NATIONAL WIN!! 🎉🏆

WOW!! We are absolutely BUZZING!! 🤩💖

We are incredibly proud to announce that InspireYouth Collective CIC has been named a WINNER at the 2026 Business Awards UK – Youth Services Development Awards, in the Youth Volunteer Programme category! 🏆

And this one is extra special…

🏆 Our FOURTH award!

🇬🇧 Our FIRST NATIONAL award!

From our little community hub in Ashby-de-la-Zouch to receiving national recognition… HOW AMAZING IS THAT?! 🥹💕

Our Teen Mentor Programme is all about giving young people opportunities to grow, build confidence, develop real-life skills, take on responsibilities and make a positive difference in their community.

We have always believed that young people are capable of incredible things when they're given the right opportunities, encouragement and support. And this award recognises exactly that! 💪🌟

A HUGE thank you to our amazing young volunteers, our fabulous team and everyone who continues to support what we do.

Four awards under our belt, our first national recognition, and we're certainly not stopping here! 🚀💖

Not bad for a little community hub with BIG ambitions! 🥰

Thank you Business Awards UK for recognising our work and the incredible young people at the heart of it!

TeenMentors YouthEmpowerment YoungPeopleMatter CommunityImpact AshbyDeLaZouch

12/10/2026

These little pompom pals are a lovely easy make for a half-term afternoon, and you probably have most of what you need already.

You’ll need:
Pompoms (shop-bought or make your own with a pompom maker, or a fork for mini ones), black beads for eyes, felt in black, brown and green, and a hot glue gun.

How to make them:

Make or pick your pompoms: black for the bat, orange for the pumpkin, white for the ghost and purple for the spider. Give them a little trim so they’re nice and round.
Cut your felt shapes: bat wings and ears, a pumpkin stalk and leaf, and thin strips for spider legs.
Glue the felt pieces on with a small dab of hot glue (grown-ups, this bit’s for you).
Add two black beads for eyes, then finish with a stitched or drawn-on smile. A little white felt fang makes the bat extra cheeky.
For the ghost, gently tease out and shape one end of your pompom into a wavy tail.

Line them up on a shelf, pop them on your Halloween table, or hide them around the house for the kids to find.

Which one would you make first: the bat, pumpkin, ghost or spider? Share your makes with us in the comments 👻



All credits to original artists via Pinterest

08/10/2026

Did you know 8th October is UK Octopus Day? 🐙

We couldn't let it pass without a throwback to some of the gorgeous batik artwork made during this year's festival — and look at these incredible underwater creatures.

Jellyfish, tropical fish, sea creatures in the most beautiful bursts of colour, all made on fabric using the batik technique. Each piece completely unique. Each one made by someone who perhaps hadn't tried anything like it before.

That's what we love most about workshops like this — you walk in not quite sure what you're going to make, and you walk out with something genuinely beautiful.

Did you take part in a workshop at this year's festival? We'd love to see what you made — share your photos below 🎨

29/09/2026

This week's arty prompt — and one that feels just right for this time of year. 🌿

Sunlit trail.

There's something about a path disappearing into the distance — the light coming through the trees, the wildflowers along the edges, that sense of not quite knowing where it leads. Walks like this are all around us in Leicestershire, and as the seasons shift, the light on them changes every single week.

Take a sketchbook. Take a camera. Take your paints or just your phone. Find a trail, find the light, and see what you come back with.

Have you painted or photographed a favourite local path? Share it below — we'd love to see where you've been walking 🎨

All credits to original artists via Pinterest

27/09/2026

There's a week left if you'd like to apply to show your work

27/09/2026

This looks really interesting at the museum..it's never too early to get in the Christmas spirit!

A Christmas Past has arrived at Ashby Museum. 🎄

A beautiful new temporary exhibition has opened in the Museum's Loudoun Gallery — an enchanting collection of antique and vintage Christmas decorations from Germany and the former Soviet Union.

The display has been lovingly put together by Tatiana and Serhii, the owners of Aurora Café, and it's a lovely bit of festive nostalgia to enjoy as the season draws in.

📍 Ashby de la Zouch Museum, Loudoun Gallery
🗓️ On now, September through to Christmas 2026

Pop in, take a look, and why not make a morning of it with a visit to one of our lovely local cafés too.

22/09/2026

Throwing it back to one of our favourite moments of this year's festival — the Photography Competition winners. 📸

With around 80 entries and the support of the brilliant Ashby Camera Club, the standard this year was extraordinary. Every single entry deserved to be on that wall.

Now here's the question — are there any photographers out there already thinking about next year? Because we'd love to see what you've got. 🌿

15/09/2026

Summer, it's been a good one. But autumn? We're ready for you. 🍂

We're sharing our FREE autumn doodles colouring sheet — perfect for little ones at home, a quiet half hour at the kitchen table, or even just an excuse to dig the felt tips out yourself. No judgement here.

Leaves, conkers, pumpkins, cosy mugs, wellies... all the good stuff.

Save it, print it, colour it in — and share your finished version with us. We'd love to see how you bring it to life 🎨

09/09/2026

What a transformation! Well done and Thank you Lisa! 😍