A FESTIVAL which drew thousands of music fans to former mining town is being resurrected this year, after an eight-year hiatus.

Stanley Blues Festival ended in 2007 after 15 years over problems with funding the free event, but at its height attracted crowds of 12,000 to the King’s Head Field, where North Durham Academy now stands.

Now civic leaders have announced the popular event is returning to the town as part of a two week Festival of Music.

The events are being organised by Stanley Town Council and Stanley Events.

The council’s new clerk, Alan Shaw, said: “The town council organises quite a lot of events in the town and they are for the benefit of local residents and to try and bring local people from outside the area into Stanley to enjoy themselves.

“There is obviously some history with this one, and there is lot of different stuff going on around it.”

Stanley Blues Festival grew from a showcase for local bands to a major free festival attracting leading performers, including The Animals.

This year acts include Paul Lamb and the King Snakes, the Kingbees, No Time For Jive, Struggle Bunny and Johnny Dickinson.

For the last few years Stanley Events has staged a paid-for music festival at Oakies Park, which was attended by around 3,000 people.

This year, the festival, at Oakies Park on August 30, is being paid for with help from a £15,000 grant from the town council, which has also organised a range of music events in the area over the last two weeks of August.

Durham County County Councillor Carl Marshall, who is behind Stanley Events, said he hoped the return of the free blues festival would draw even bigger crowds.

He said: “We recognise the need for a regional blues festival and hope to build on the town’s previous success as home to one of Europe’s largest free outdoor blues events.

“We have managed to secure a great line up of national and regional bands and hope the event will allow up and coming blues bands to showcase their talents.

“It is great that Stanley Town Council has invested in a Festival of Music across the town and the programmed music based activities, I’m sure, will provide something for most families to enjoy.”

Fifteen pubs and clubs in the area will have local bands playing over the fortnight and several events have been planned at the Civic Hall, formerly The Lamplight Arts Centre.

There will be karaoke nights on the last three Fridays of August, Stanley Fringe, an afternoon of music and poetry is on Saturday, August 29 from 2pm to 6pm with a Frozen sing-a-long at the venue on August 19 and 20.

Fool’s Gold and Jack Burness are performing on the August 15 from 8pm with entry costing £2 and 2econd Wind on August 23 from 7.30pm.

There will also be outdoor film screenings Proms/Tea in the Park, buskers in various locations throughout the fortnight and a Front Street launch party on August 15 as well as a presentation evening on August 26.