BLACKBURN’S MasterChef finalist Moonira Hinglotwala was today announced as the latest tasty attraction for next weekend’s National Festival of Making.

The pharmacist and amateur cook will be holding cake-making demonstrations at Blackburn Market on May 12 as part of the two-day celebration of the town’s manufacturing history.

The mother-of-two will join the festival’s ‘making of a South Asian wedding’ project by award-winning theatre producer and artist Dawinder Bansal.

It will celebrate the traditional dressmaking, cookery and decorating skills used to create Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi weddings of the 1980s.

Moonira made the final of the BBC1 cooking show screened in April after impressing judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode and guest tasters with her Indian fusion cooking.

She is just one of many attractions at the free festival which is expected to see tens of thousands of people flock to the town centre on May 12 and 13.

Moonira and Dawinder will be working with members of the public on decorating cakes from 11am to 1pm and 3pm to 5pm.

Among these will be seven apprentice welders from Darwen manufacturing firm WEC who have been turning their hand to creating art work.

They have teamed up with London-based artist David Murphy to create sculptures to be unveiled at the festival.

The apprentices from WEC Group’s training academy used factory processes such as oxyacetylene flame cutting, shaping, drilling, folding, grinding and finishing.

Mr Murphy said: “Individual decision-making, judgement and creativity have brought unique results and we might even begin to read the works as portraits.”

The sculptures will be shown at Prism Contemporary, Lord Street West, Blackburn, from May 12 to 25.

Kris Mercer, WEC Group’s training manager, said: “We run a busy architectural metalwork division as part of our group and work closely with a lot of leading artists throughout the year.”

The festival programme includes the BBC Introducing Stage - which visits the biggest music festivals across the country - showcasing the best local up-and-coming music talent over two days in Cathedral Square.

Festival director Wayne Hemingway said: “After such a successful first year the challenge was on for the next one to be even bigger and even better."

“With close to 150 hands-on activities, improving on the 119 last year, the numbers speak for themselves but it’s also the quality of the experience that visitors won’t want to miss.”