The popular Carters Steam Fair returns to West Wycombe once again at the weekend - but this year they will be encouraging youngsters to take up the traditional act of signwriting.

The fair makes a highly-anticipated return to the Pedestal field in West Wycombe High Street on September 21 and 22, but this year's event will include the organisers' first ever signwriting festival.

They are encouraging children and teenagers to step away from their computers, iPads and phones and see the traditional creative skills in action.

The event will celebrate and promote hand-painting, and give visitors young and old the opportunity to see 80 professional signwriters and hand-letterers from around the world at work.

Although the artists from the Letterheads Collective meet up regularly, this is the first time such a public event has been created.

The signwriting festival gives visitors a unique chance to see the artists and learn new skills alongside the fairground itself which is a unique piece of living history - the rides and attractions date from the 1890s to the 1960s and have all been painstakingly restored using these traditional techniques.

The fairground is entirely hand-painted, from the rides, living wagons and fleet of lorries, down to the smallest of components.

These traditional skills have been under pressure over the last few decades with the rise of computers and the increase in the use of plastic and vinyl.

Fairground owner Joby Carter completed an apprenticeship in the art of signwriting when he was younger, and he has been passionate about encouraging others to keep the skills alive ever since.

He said: “With so many children growing up with smartphones and tablets, I think it’s more important than ever to showcase and share these traditional skills.

"I’m always happiest when I have a brush in my hand and it would be an incredible loss if our children missed out on these opportunities. I was taught the original skills of painting with just a brush and a mahl.

"These skills are fast dying out, and I think it would be a crying shame if every signwriter relied on computers to work and were unable to do basic layouts freehand.”

Visitors will have the chance to join in with a range of free activities including hands-on creative lettering sessions, ‘treasure trails’ around the fair to find different examples of fancy lettering, tours of the painting marquee to see the artists in action and other live demonstrations including brushwork and working with gold leaf.

On Sunday morning, members of the public are invited to a charity auction where they can buy items that have been hand-painted during the festival.

The unique signs and painted items are usually a mix of song lyrics, famous statements and quirky messages rendered in bright, hand-painted lettering and are sold to the highest bidder in aid of charity Alexander Devine Hospice, which supports children in the community who have been diagnosed with life-threatening and life-limiting conditions.

Last year they raised over £10,000 and they are hoping to beat that this year.