The first annual MGSO4 festival concluded this weekend having attracted thousands of attendees and involving more than 60 activities.

The festival’s pop-up gallery, located in the Ashley Centre, received 1000 visitors alone.

Chairman and festival director Sarah Dewing said: “It was an incredible three days and we have been inundated with enthusiastic messages.

“A huge thank you to everyone who helped us to create an amazing inaugural festival.

“We have a great team of people and hope to grow and develop what we are able to offer the local community.”

Festival attendees watched Epsom resident Thomas Kavanagh crowned as the festival’s young musician of the year, enjoyed tips from children’s author Clare Somerville, and listened to The Voice contestant Charlotte Turnbull.

Art, writing, and music workshops, kid’s crafts, performances and exhibitions took place across the borough, including the young musician of the year competition, which awarded first place and runner-up positions in two categories and an overall winner.

This year’s overall winner, Mr Kavanagh, of Wallace Fields Junior School, Epsom, also won the contemporary category playing an electric guitar.

He began playing at age 11.

Competition judge Brenda Rattray said of Thomas’s entry: “Thomas has an impressive, wonderfully confident personality with a beautifully engaged attitude, focussed and proud of his scalic passages and passionate solos.”

He was awarded a cash prize of £75 and a Yamaha Revstar RS 320 electric guitar, worth £300.

Children’s author Clare Somerville gave tips to aspiring young children’s authors at an event on Saturday afternoon. Ms Somerville is deputy managing director of Hachette Children’s Books.

On Saturday evening, Ms Turnbull, who attended Nescot College in Ewell, headlined the acoustic showcase event ‘Live in Derby Square.’ Also at the Derby Square stage were Britain’s Got Talent contestant Rachael Wooding, local band Little Grim and Epsom Youth Big Band.

Novelist, playwright and Ewell native Michael Frayn discussed his work and the inspiration he has drawn from growing up in Ewell with his nephew, Julian Waters, Sky Sports News TV presenter, on Friday night at Bourne Hall.

The concept for the festival began in 2015, when a letter was penned to The Epsom Guardian inquiring as to why there was no arts festival in the Epsom-Ewell area.

Soon after, artist Ms Dewing and What’s On Epsom hosted a meeting for anyone interested in starting an arts festival, a meeting which was wildly popular.

The name comes from the chemical compound for Epsom salts, magnesium sulphate, which made Epsom famous nearly 400 years ago.