STREET artists are set to pour into Dunbar for a special one-day event this month.

Dunbar Street Art Trail is the brainchild of Steven Hill, chairman of Dunbar Trades’ Association (DTA), and Lisa Bryson, from Dunbar Pop-up Shop, who were keen to bring as many people as possible to the town on April 18.

Mr Hill felt the art trail, which will feature art ranging from live mural making and the chance to leave your own graffiti to jewellery making and caricatures, could also benefit local businesses.

He told the Courier: “For me it is about a blend of thinking about not only what do people want to buy or have at their fingertips, but also what do people want to do with their time?

“People need human interaction; in a world that relies on the instant fix of the smartphone there is something missing.

“Community for me is where we can achieve our best competitive advantage as small business owners.

“I provide a service, I do this to the best of my ability, not only because the customer is paying me, but more often than not the customer is a friend, we build rapport and friendship.

“That alone is enough to attract some people to a high street.

“But to attract more we must have something to make a shopping trip an experience, a day out if you like, by adding a series of events to our town, free events that you can nip to for an hour or spend a whole day meandering around.” Mr Hill, who runs the Dunbar T-Shirt Shop, felt different events, ranging from buskers and giant kite flying to historical tours and street artists, would benefit the town centre.

The town centre will become a trail for art lovers to enjoy many different art styles, with workshops for adults and kids, including a workshop by Liz Lochhead, Scotland’s National Poet.

Events to interact with and experience art in a fun way – with Chris Young, founding father of street art in Scotland, together with a wide array of local music and art, including musical installation from Dunbar’s very own Stagger Rat lead singer Callum Easter – will also be held.

This event will be completely free, family friendly and provide a unique opportunity to see some of the finest examples of street art on show in any small town.

Mr Hill said: “What we are trying to do is provide a platform of local level services and destination shopping to give the local economy enough resilience to exist alongside a countryside proliferated with large supermarkets.

“Of course, local government have been completely intransigent with their ideas as to counteract the mass flow of consumers to other mediums and instead of redesign they just sort of sat back and moaned about the fall in high street occupancy and the local employment market variety of many towns becoming so sparse.

“This lack of imagination has been evident in a variety of towns which enjoy little more than a number of charity shops and betting shops.” DTA has provided funding, along with a tourism grant from East Lothian Council.

Councillor John McMillan, the local authority spokesman for tourism and economic development, wished the organisers the best of luck.

He said: “Last year’s John Muir Festival saw the official launch of the new coast-to-coast John Muir Way and was a huge boost to Dunbar and its businesses.

“This year’s festival looks set to be another great event and attractions like the street art trail are bound to attract lots of visitors to the town and, again, generate an economic boost for businesses.”