TALENTED artists are preparing to invade Chester this week.

From Thursday, October 25, 16 artists will be present in the city for three days as part of Chester Art Beat, occupying eight strategic locations.

If successful, the invaders will return.

The Chester Art Beat 2018 is a pilot instigated by Canon Brooke and managed by local artist and town crier Julie Mitchell.

Chester Art Beat is a free, family-friendly walking trail which will allow visitors to see artists creating works on site and who will happily chat about what they do and how they are inspired.

Expect to see art, craft and design work covering sculpture, textile art, painting, drawing, printmaking, processional puppet work and digital fractal design.

The best order in which take in all the venues is to start at Chester Racecourse, then move along Watergate Street to Stanley Palace, carry on up Watergate to the Cartoon Gallery and to Bishop Lloyd's Palace. From there, head further into the city for the Grosvenor Shopping Centre (central atrium), Marks and Spencer, Chester Cathedral, and Storyhouse.

There is a free competition for children and adults to win £25 vouchers for art materials as they walk the trail.

Times for the art trail are 11am-3.30pm on October 25/26 and 11am-4.30pm on October 27. People can download a trail map from www.the chesterartbeat.co.uk/trailmap.

Artists, craft makers and designers have given their time free while the venues are generously donated.

The event has been made possible by generous financial support from HRH Duke of Westminster's Grosvenor Estates, Cheshire High Sheriff's Cheshire Community Foundation, 11 CWaC councillors and private donors, as well as practical support from Chester BID, CWaC, Councillor Jill Houlbrook, and Tracy French, head of art at Upton High School.