The seventh New Malden Arts Festival will see shopkeepers doubling up their stores as art galleries for three weeks celebrating the borough’s artistic talents.

Festival-goers can get a dose of ceramics, photos and paintings all within a 10 minute walkabout passing Kingston Road, Burlington Road, Sussex Road, Cambridge Road and King’s Avenue.

The arts trail will feature nine make-shift galleries including Cafe Green, Cafe Galio, the Methodist Church, Tudor Williams and even New Malden police counter and CI Tower.

Organiser Bona Shin says: "I thought why do we have to go to expensive galleries or theatres? Why don’t we bring the art into the community?

"At the moment we don’t have that much art in New Malden but we can have more and maybe people will visit New Malden for it."

But art-lovers don’t have to cram into one shop to discuss their interpretations, festival organisers have organised an outdoor music concert dubbed Summer Breeze to kick off the stint at Kingston Environment Centre on July 19.

Shina says: "It’s going to be all about the music. We will have lots of different musicians playing and there will also be Korean musicians playing the traditional kayagum - an eight stringed instrument.

"People will enjoy coming together for all the different music."

Culture enthusiasts will get the opportunity to sit in on a talk led by North Korea defector, Joo-il Kim, who was also a former North Korean army captain.

He will discuss life for North Koreans in New Malden alongside a panel.

New Malden Arts Festival has been organised by arts charity Theatre for All, which promotes cultural art projects, alongside Kingston Environment Centre, New Malden Creative and Kingston Green Radio.

New Malden Arts Festival, July 19 to August 2, for more information and to get a festival guide email info@theatre4all.com.