The Festival of Thrift – that glorious two-day celebration of sustainable living – returns to Billingham this September with family fun to the fore.

I’m a cynic. When I attended the first Festival of Thrift, I thought it would be very worthy, but maybe a bit – what’s the word – boring? Wrong! It was enormous fun and I haven’t missed one since. And one of the reasons it’s so good is that they jam-pack it with so much amazing stuff, stuff such as street performances (which take in everything from the awe-inspiring to the funny), tonnes of live music, illuminating talks, hands-on workshops for the entire family, the ever-popular marketplace, scrummy food (and eminently quaffable drink), and loads more. The festival has won a multitude of awards including Winner of the Arts Award in the UK’s number one sustainability awards, the P.E.A. (People. Environment. Achievement). It has also won Best Event Teesside (in 2015 and 2017); Gold as North East Tourism Event of the Year; and the Observer Ethical Awards for Arts and Culture.

Festival of Thrift, Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 September, Billingham, www.festivalofthrift.co.uk