THE second Lyme Regis Arts Festival takes place in October taking as its theme this year 'evo lution'. And if evolution is about sur vival of the fittest, the arts festi val has certainly been training at the gym of late. Following the huge success of its inaugural year, the festival has stepped up its pace and those visiting or taking part will notice a bigger, better programme of events. More than 50 artists will exhib it in the open studios event alone - up almost 60 per cent on last year's participants. And two major events look set to lend the festival that extra artistic muscle. The flagship event of this year's festival, which is linked to the national Big Draw, will be the Evolution project. Participants can draw with their fingers in blue lias - the clay that has made Lyme Regis world famous by preserving fos sils - under the guidance of Lyme Regis artist Christine Allison. The end product will be a huge memorial. Also involving people on a vast scale will be Steve Rideout's Painting By Hundreds in which a giant image of Lyme Regis will be assembled using the photo graphic, abstract and figurative contributions of hundreds of par ticipants. Other events will include Raku, poetry recitals, a Battle of the Bands, African singing and patchwork quilting. Organiser Sally Holman said the festival's aim was to bring economic and cultural benefits to Lyme's community. She said its policy of social inclusivity was central to its pur pose and had helped secure fund ing for the event from sponsors, including the arts council and Lyme Regis Development Trust. She said: "We invite you to join us to make the ArtsFest a cre ative experience, a celebration of Lyme's uniqueness. "Enjoy the visual and perform ance arts, find new interests and discover your talents!" ArtsFest 2004 will take place in a number of venues across the town, from October 2 to 10. For more information visit the web site www.lymeregisartsfest.com or pick up a leaflet at tourist information or LymeNET.