A CHARITY which aims to raise awareness of germ cell cancers has been made the first charity partner of the Colchester Free Festival.

The Robin Cancer Trust will have the opportunity to spread its message to more than 30,000 people at the event this weekend.

The team behind the charity say they havealot of surprises planned for the festival, which will take place in Castle Park on Saturday and Sunday.

Chief executive officer Toby Freeman said: “We’ve got lots of exciting things planned. We’re going to use this opportunity to take our awareness to the next level.

“It’s going to be festival entertainment mixed with serious awareness.

“We can’t wait. We’ve got a fantastic group of volunteers helping us.”

The Free Festival will see a variety of artists and performers take toanumber of stages in the park.

See Friday’s Gazette for a full preview and line up details