Recycled characters were on hand to help launch two weeks of events in Helston celebrating the town's past and present trades.

The Helston Makes It event features daily talks and workshops on various subjects, with organiser Jude Carroll saying: "It's all about celebrating 'making' skills - traditional ones and contemporary ones.

"It wasn't that long ago that you could get anything you needed in Helston. It's really important that skills of making continue to be handed down from one generation to another.

"One generation will change and adapt a bit, but without that personal contact these skills get lost."

Now in its second year, the festival was launched on Saturday at Helston Museum with the first public showing of a film produced by year five pupils at Nansloe Academy. 'Recyclemation For Our Nation' features characters made from recycled goods, filmed with the help of film maker Amanda Lorens.

The faces give facts about recycling, as well as poetry written by Jude.

Amanda said: "The whole film is about 'reduce, reuse, recycle.' They did an amazing job."

Workshops take place all this week and next week, including one on natural dying and crochet on Thursday, felting on Friday, tapestry weaving on Saturday, button making next Monday, working with sheep fleece next Tuesday and book making next Wednesday.

On Thursday next week Erica Clark of Helston In Bloom will explain about a competition to improve the area outside the library and Job Centre and on the Friday there will be lino cut print making, leading up to a mass ‘Makers Celebration Day’ at the museum on September 22, where there will be a demonstration of skills in everything from metalwork and print-making to driftwood art, quilt making and producing a lampshade.

A full line up can be found by clicking through from the What’s On section of the Helston Museum website.

Also over the two weeks, a trail around the town sees 16 shops include a display in their window, depicting what it used to sell in the past. Trail leaflets can be picked up from the museum, with a prize draw at the end.

Jude added: "There's a whole band of volunteers in this museum who help to make it run smoothly. It's a big thank you to them."