THE third Wye Valley River Festival will be flowing through the area next month, highlighted by a giant moon shining high in Tintern Abbey.

The May 5 to 20 extravaganza will see artists and communities celebrate the river and its woodlands, with a special emphasis on trees and the benefits they bring.

The Museum of the Moon, measuring 23 foot across, will also be suspended high in the historic Abbey from May 14 to 20, and festival organisers say it will be awe inspiring after night falls.

The fusion of lunar imagery and moonlight is the work of installation artist Luke Jerram, the man who created a 300ft waterslide ridden by nearly 100,000 people down a Bristol street in 2014.

He said: “Tintern Abbey is a beautiful venue and I’m looking forward to seeing the Museum of the Moon in that space.”

The artwork, which features detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface, has toured India with the British Council and is currently undertaking a tour of arts and cultural festivals in the UK.

With 27 per cent of the Wye Valley AONB covered in trees, festival artists will also be challenging people to think about the role they play in our world, including as stress busters.

A festival spokesman said: “Trees provide oxygen and store carbon, helping to slow down global warming.

“They provide habitats for wildlife – 500 species can live in a single old oak tree. They absorb pollutants and have therapeutic qualities too.

“Your heart rate and blood pressure will drop when you are surrounded by trees and your stress levels will go down.”

The therapeutic benefits of trees can be experienced at Symonds Yat on May 5 to 6 with a night time music and light installation show by artist Jony Easterby.

The bi-annual festival will be calling in at Lydbrook on May 7, Ross-on-Wye on May 10 and Chepstow on May 11, before the trees will be going to town in Monmouth on May 12 to 13, along with a festival ensemble of theatrical characters bringing woodland stories to life.

The Aborealists, a group of contemporary artists who create art inspired by trees, will also be hosting an exhibition at the Nelson Museum.

The festival, which starts in Hereford and climaxes in Llandogo on May 19, will include circus fun and games, giant puppets and fire sculptures.

See www.wyevalleyriverfestival.co.uk for more details.