MORE than 80 people visited the Asha Centre at Flaxley for the first weekend of the Forest and Valley Open Studios trail.

The exhibits include a life-size wire figure called Spirit of the Garden as well as paintings, ceramics and mixed media dolls.

Claire Robinson, who has been running activities on site since early 2013, is joined this year by regular participants Martin Hazell, Martin Jones and local artists Jane Spray, Eileen O'Hare and Jenny Leigh.

There are 47 artists exhibiting in 33 studios around the Forest in this year's open studios which runs until next Wednesday (July 23).