A FOUR day festival celebrating Reading's history will give people the chance to get hands on with heritage when it gets under way tomorrow.

Heritage Open Days will include a variety of craft events, starting tomorrow from 5.30-7.30pm at John Lewis, Broad Street, with a Fair Isle knitting workshop. It will be followed on Friday, from 11am-1pm at Jacksons, with a freeform crochet session.

Children aged three and over can join in by creating pop-up books on Saturday, from 11am-1pm, at Waterstone's, Broad Street.

The store is also hosting an exhibition on its own Grade II listed building and is encouraging people to go along and admire the former 18th Century Broad Street Independent Chapel.

Waterstone's Cheryl Dibden said: "We're very fortunate to have such an amazing building with extraordinary history.

"We always have customers taking photos of the architecture, we all appreciate working here."

A vintage patchwork workshop will be running at Cath Kidson in Broad Street on Sunday, from 2-4pm, while in Forbury Gardens, from 1-4.30pm, there will be performances by Trinity Concert Band and Salvation Army Reading Central Band as part of the nationwide Bandstand Marathon.

On Saturday, from 11am-5pm, Market Place will host Here's Heritage, an outdoor celebration of nostalgia.

Traditional market stalls, selling handmade crafts, textiles and vintage clothing, jewellery and furniture, will be complemented by performances from Lindy Hop dance group, All Jazzed Up.

There will also be workshops run by arts group Jelly, free antique valuations with auctioneers Jones and Jacob, a performance by 1940s singing trio The Bombshells and hair styling with Kam Vintage Hair Artist.

Reading has been taking part in the nationwide Heritage Open Days festival since it was founded in 1994.

It is being co-ordinated by Reading UK CIC and features more than 40 events, including tours and open days at some of the town's most historic landmarks.

Some events require booking and have charges and age restrictions. For full details see www.heritageopendays.org.uk/directory/laa/reading