A £2,000 county cash injection will help the team which puts together Hitchin’s annual Rhythms of the World community music festival carry on outreach work in the area.

County councillors Judi Billing (Hitchin North) and Derrick Ashley (Hitchin South) have each allocated £1,000 from their £10,000 locality budgets to the cause.

RotW aims to use music and the arts to engage with community groups throughout the year, as well as organising the festival which is expected to attract more than 30,000 people to the town next June.

The outreach programme makes it possible for local groups – including older people, people with disabilities and young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds – to get involved or simply experience a taste of the arts.

Examples include a drumming workshop at a local home for disabled young people and a five-week session at a local care home for the elderly where they sampled everything from jazz to folk to bluegrass.

The councillors said: “This is a great opportunity for those in the wider community to enjoy the ‘rhythms experience’ if they are unable to attend the festival itself.”

RotW is driven by volunteers and there are lots of ways that you can get involved in the festival – to find out more, visit www.rotw.org.uk.