A STREET artist currently in residence in New York and a music hall star turned rapper are the latest major additions to an upcoming Festival of Thrift.

The free festival, which attracted 27,000 visitors on its debut last autumn, is returning to Darlington’s Lingfield Point in September and promises to be even bigger and better this time around.

Organisers have managed to secure scores of stallholders, artists and performers and among them are the Spanish artist Francisco De Pajaro and entertainer Ida Barr.

De Pajaro is currently New York’s artist in residence but the Barcelona-born sculptor now lives in London where his work has been seen and snapped by passersby across the capital.

He creates striking sculptures out of rubbish in the streets, often signed with the label ‘Art is Trash’, and his work has also been found in Madrid, Barcelona, the Balearics and, presently, New York.

There is often a political message in his artwork and Festival of Thrift director Stella Hall said his appearance is likely to be a highlight of the event.

Another star attraction to the festival is Ida Barr – a character created by writer and comedy performer Christopher Green – who has toured across the country and starred in her own BBC Radio 4 series.

The Ida Barr character is a Victorian music hall star who has turned her hand to rap and hip hop and she has been a big hit at previous festivals including a residency at the Grassington Festival in the Yorkshire Dales last summer.

The Festival of Thrift is the idea of fashion designer Wayne Hemingway and John Orchard, director of the Marchday property company that developed Lingfield Point.

It celebrates creativity in sustainable living, and Ms Hall, who also directed the 2013 festival and hails from Whitley Bay, said she is delighted that it is building on last year’s success and is staying in the North-East.

She said: “There were people from all over the country who rang us up and said ‘can you come to us next year’ - there were lots of temptations.

“But Darlington Borough Council and Marchday committed themselves very quickly to doing another festival.

“That enabled us to get support from the Arts Council and very soon after that a range of sponsors came forward.”

Ms Hall advised Darlington residents to look out for a few festival “teasers and tasters” around the town centre in the weeks before the event.

The festival will take place over the weekend of September 27 and 28 and updates on events and attractions will be posted on its Facebook page.