Wallingford is gearing up for a spectacular nine-day Millennium festival.

The extended celebration will involve almost every sector of the community and is the first of its kind in Wallingford's history.

Thousands of people are expected to visit the town for the event, which starts on Saturday (July 8). Much of the fun will be centred on the historic Castle Meadows the site of Wallingford's ruined castle which were bought by South Oxfordshire District Council last year.

The celebrations feature a farmers' market, a 10km fun run, the Wallingford raft race, community songs of praise, a business exhibition and trade show, and special themed days for clubs and societies, schools, businesses and the armed forces. The event will reach a climax on Sunday, July 16, with an invasion of Civil War troops. Hundreds of Roundheads and Cavaliers from the English Civil War Society will re-enact the town's famous siege.

Saturday's events will have a musical flavour with performances by the Wallingford Parish Church Choir, Wallingford Ringers, the Wallingford Children's Choir, Cholsey Silver Band, Wallingford and District Orchestra and the Wallingford Wind Ensemble.

It will end with the first performance of the Wallingford Cantata, written for the occasion by Wallingford musicians Joyce Knowles and Robert Webb.

Oxfordshire county councillor for Wallingford, Lord Bradshaw, who will entertain visitors by playing the tuba with the Cholsey Silver Band, said: "Much hard work has been done to make this a great event. I hope that lots of people will come."