Falmouth University students will today be occupying the site of a sign branded a 'concrete carbuncle' and inviting residents to join them in a day of fun and protest.

The Follywood event is a peaceful community day that will focus on bringing art and enjoyment to the patch of land on Woodlane, adding a splash of colour around the grey concrete letters, although the one rule will be that no-one defaces the sign.

Starting at 9am with a bring-your-own breakfast, there will be a day of art-making, with canvases and paints provided, and artists, dancers and musicians will also be in attendance, with a storyteller just after 3pm for local children returning from school.

One of the organisers, Tom Stockley, said: "When they made it they were so sure to tell everyone it was public property.

"The emphasis for us is that everything is colourful and fun and not just for students."

The group is angry at the lack of consultation with the student body and the public over the sign, which was unveiled while most were away for Christmas, and the general lack of transparency over decision making at the university. They also feel that it shows, at a time when funding for arts courses is being cut, that the university's focus is on profits rather than students.

Instead of the sign, they would have preferred to see an area for public use such as a play area, a bench for the elderly, somewhere for studenst and locals to sit and enjoy lunch in the sun, or a collaborative mural.

Maddie Broad, another organiser, said: "It was such a chance to bridge the gap [between the university and community] and make the campus more open to everyone. But they messed that up."

She added: "It's not even coloured in."

The event will run from around 9am to 7pm, weather permitting.

For information search for Follywood on Facebook.