Tim Hughes brushes off his wellies, digs out his sleeping bag, and looks forward to the first, and nicest, big festival of the summer – Wychwood.

DIG out your wellies, call your cider supplier and brush last year’s mud from your tent – the festival season is once again upon us.

Yes, winter is officially over, and the English summertime is here in all its verdant glory (well, we can at least hope…).

And giving the festie season a mighty kick-off is Witney man Graeme Merifield, who has succeeded where so many others have failed, by growing the country’s coolest, friendliest, and downright nicest festival on the edge of the Cotswolds.

Called Wychwood, the three-day bash, which started five years ago, has always been a showcase for Oxfordshire’s finest musicians and artists – attracting 10,000 punters each day to hear 100 bands and artists, and join in up to 100 workshops.

Held at the end of this month over the Gloucestershire border on Cheltenham racecourse, the festival is the latest in a long tradition of Wychwood Forest fairs.

And this year’s line-up is nothing short of stellar – boasting Wheatley’s most famous sons Supergrass.

Gaz and the boys will be joined by a diverse and eclectic mix of acts, including Bellowhead, the exhuberant folk-rock collective boasting Abingdon’s king of the squeezebox John Spiers; Oxford bands Stornoway and Witches; and another Oxfordshire firm – Danny & the Champions of the World – featuring the talents of Truck Festival siblings Joe, Robin and Katie Bennett, who next week stage their own eco-acoustic forest gathering Wood, near Wallingford.

They appear on a bill also graced by the likes of reformed Black Country indie-poppers The Wonder Stuff; folk-rock darlings The Oyster Band; 2-Tone ska heroes The Beat; Welsh psych-rockers Super Furry Animals; Addis Ababa’s jazz-funk party people Dub Colossus, and Donegal beauty Cara Dillon.

Then there’s the likes of The Men They Couldn’t Hang, Alice Gun, folk-punk from Young Ones/Bottom star Adrian Edmondson, and comedy from Arthur Smith, Robin Ince, and socialist punk-poet songwriter Attila the Stockbroker.

“We want Wychwood to be a place people of all ages can come along to and enjoy.

“Whatever music you like, you’ll be able to wander around and find something you love.

“It’s also extremely friendly, safe and clean,” he adds.

“There’s also great cinema, comedy, a silent disco for 2,500 people every night, wonderful food, and workshops where you can learn everything from circus skills and belly dancing to yoga – and with loads for children too. Kids have a great time, and on Sunday they can show off what they have made, with a parade around the festival.

“We have a strong line-up with some well-known names alongside folk elements and the cream of the folk world,” he adds.

Graeme and his team have a proven knack for picking bands on the cusp of making it big. Previous coups have included The Guillemots, The Feeling, and Duffy.

This year they’ve done it again with Red light Company, Alex Cornish, the hotly-tipped Little Boots, and another Duffy... new Poet Laureatte Carol Ann.

Ande Graeme is proud of the festival’s Oxfordshire links.

“We have a strong following in Oxfordshire,” he says. “As well as a nationally-recognised festival, it’s also a local gathering.

“The original Wychwood Forest celebrations were for people from all walks of life – and we are carrying that on.

“We actually wanted to hold it in Oxfordshire, but ran up against local politics. Fortunately, we were welcomed in Gloucestershire with open arms. It’s a beautiful site – beneath the Prestbury Hills.”

Wychwood Festival takes place from May 29-31. Adult weekend tickets are £110, available from the festival box office on 01993 772580, Ticketmaster.co.uk on 0844 847 1681, WeGotTickets.com or SeeTickets.com You can grab a day ticket for £35. Accompanied kids under 12 get in free.

For further details go to www.wychwoodfestival.com. PICK OF THE ACTS: * Supergrass – Britpop’s coolest kids – no introduction necessary. * Super Furry Animals – mind expanding, intelligent and irreverent art-rock. * The Wonder Stuff – ‘jump-up and get down’ 80s indie-pop l Danny & The Champions of the World – heart-warming spine tingly acoustic folk-rock. * Bellowhead – the first and last word in folk – spiced with rock, ska, jazz and world rhythms * Little Boots – the BBC’s Sound of 2009. Singing, synth-teasing electronica angel.

* Ella Edmondson – upbeat folk from Adrian Edmondson’s daughter, no less!

* The Beat – Mirror in the Bathroom ska heroes.

* Dub Colossus – Brass-soaked Ethiopian jazz, funk and groove * Stornoway – Oxford’s fresh-faced folkie-pop dreamers *The Men They Couldn’t Hang – melodic, rocking anarcho-euphoria * Oojami Sound System – Turkish rhythms meet Euro electro-techno to the accompaniment of belly-dancing and sufi dancing * Alice Gun – macabre anti-folk guitar l Dhol Foundation – Rousing north Indian drum ensemble l Spiro – multi-layered, if disturbing Bristolian acoustic folk genius l Alex Cornish – The Guide’s favourite new singer-songwriter.