YORK'S Little Festival of Live Music is raring to go with its spring offshoot, Saturday's Acoustic and Folk Mini-Fest, at the Black Swan Inn, Peasholme Green, York.

"Having worked with more 150 musicians from across the country, raised £10,000 for York charities and become a double award-winning music festival, there’s no limit to what York’s Little Festival of Live Music can achieve," says curator Ellen Cole.

"We love hosting a small event early in the year and then building it into something bigger in time for the September festival. I'm passionate about collaborating with grassroots and independent talent across the UK and enjoy helping them showcase their work to established and new music lovers.

"The beauty of our events is that they're family-friendly. It’s great to see a wide range of audiences brought together to celebrate and support great live music. This year we have a host of fine Yorkshire talent taking to the stage at the Black Swan; every act is completely different from one another and our audiences are guaranteed to discover an eclectic range of music. It’s truly going to be an afternoon and evening of musical delights."

Saturday's Mini-Fest runs from 2.30pm to 9pm with a line-up featuring rising young musician Scarlett Gordon; gypsy-Celtic group Leather’o and traditional folk singer and multi-instrumentalist Toni Bunnell, who will be launching her seventh album, Heart To Home.

Taking part too will be Norse folk group Bruni; acoustic singer-songwriter David Ward Maclean; Plumhall’s Nick Hall, in a rare solo set, and East Yorkshire singer-songwriter, headlining the event with her gentle folk-Americana.

"The line-up for our Mini-Fest is phenomenal," says Ellen. "If you've never experienced live music before, or maybe you want to explore your local music scene, then this is an event which should not be missed."

Entry on Saturday is free, although a suggested donation of £5 will be welcomed in aid of The Island Mentoring Scheme, a charity that supports vulnerable children from York.

York's Little Festival of Live Music, set up by Ellen at three weeks’ notice in 2013, plays host to two events each year. The second will run alongside the York Food and Drink Festival in September, and applications from musicians wishing to take part will open on Sunday, with a May 31 deadline. To apply, email yorkslivemusicfestival@gmail.com.