THE Sherston Boule and Carnival weekend is set to take over the village’s high street once again as 128 teams arrive for a weekend of festivities.

Volunteers will prepare 16 pistes for the boule tournament, starting at 9.30am on Saturday July 12, with local and international teams making the journey to take part.

Many hundreds of players will take part in a knockout tournament of boule, also known as pétanque, where the aim is to land metal balls as close to a wooden ‘jack’ as possible.

Played by almost 17 million people in France, there are about 375,000 players licensed with the Fédération Française de Pétanque et Jeu Provençal (FFPJP) with some 3,000 in England.

Attendees can expect humorous team names following entries fromBoulecocks, Douboules Entendres and Boules of Fire in previous years.

As well as the tournament the Saturday will play host to a range of other activities including morris dancing, the well known French Cafe and a samba band of local children to add to the event’s Brazilian theme.

The day will be rounded off with the prize giving around 6pm and an evening party at the village hall going on from 7pm late into the night.

Sunday morning will see a contest of strength in the traditional Sherston tug of war, with the Vine Tree Inn's team currently tipped to win.

Following this a duck race will start at 2.30, ending at the Mill Cottage Garden with cream tea and a raffle draw.

Proceeds from all of these events will go to community organisations in Sherston and surrounding villages, supporting 30 different groups throughout the year with help from sponsors.

As well as local groups the weekend will raise money for one overseas charity, Alive and Well, which works to sink wells in the Pujehun region of Sierra Leone.