A MASS of tents and hospitality suites is growing up around York Racecourse ready for next week's visit of Royal Ascot.

Over the past few weeks, the course has undergone a transformation, with bars, restaurants and rooms shooting up around the Knavesmire.

The Paddock Club, a combination of restaurants and other hospitality, has been built near the course's new racing bend.

The Trimdon Suites, a double-storey hospitality area named after the first horse to hold both the Yorkshire Cup and Ascot Gold Cup, has been constructed near the winning post.

A tent village will also be housed next to the Yorkshire Course enclosure, with a marquee in the grandstand.

James Brennan, York Racecourse marketing manager, said: "There is a real sense of excitement about the place. A lot of work is going on and the racecourse is becoming a little village all of its own."

Excitement is also building at another North Yorkshire attraction, which is planning a day of alternative racing events for people fed up with all the talk of Ascot.

On Sunday, June 19, Castle Howard, near Malton, is hosting lawnmower, snail, ferret, lurcher and terrier racing.

The lawnmower event is courtesy of North West Lawn Mower Racing Association, which is taking over the event field for members to compete towards the association's 2005 championship and 2005 Grand Prix.

From noon, lawnmowers of all types will be racing throughout the afternoon.

There will be mowers that travel on rollers, sit-on machines, and the increasingly popular garden tractors.

The event might not quite attract the 50,000 spectators expected on each of the five days of Royal Ascot at York, but staff at the stately home are looking forward to it nonetheless.

Head gardener Brian Deighton said: "It will be great fun to watch the drivers hurtle around the field.

"I just hope it doesn't give the gardens team any ideas for next time they are out mowing the 50 acres of lawn we have to keep tidy."