VISITORS to Newham Grange Leisure Farm had the chance to see more than the usual farmyard attractions this weekend.

The Middlesbrough centre was open free to the public as part of the Tees Forest Storytelling Festival "Tales from the Tees" on Saturday.

Children could enjoy stories told by professional storytellers on the site all day. Members of the Teesside Wood Turners, a large group based at the farm, and the Darlington Wood Carvers, who brought along a rocking horse carver, gave demonstrations in wood carving.

There was also a miniature railway, face painting, balloon modelling and a bouncy slide. The event marked the first day of a programme of events throughout the Tees Valley this week.

Tracy Farbridge, from the farm, said: "It was a brilliant day. We were packed out all day long. There were plenty of young children but quite a lot of older people came to see the wood carving.

"We were very lucky with the weather, of course. We also had help from SureStart at Hemlington who did some activities with the children."

Children are also being encouraged to read through story sacks during this week's festival. The sacks, called Only Made of Wood, contain a story as well as a giant puppet and a seed from a tree.

They have been created by the Tees Valley Branch of the Forest Education Initiative (FEI), which aims to raise children's awareness about the importance of woodland.

The sacks will make their debut during the festival, which runs until Sunday, August 29. Details are available from The Tees Forest on (01642) 300716.

After the festival, the sacks will be available for use by schools, community groups, libraries and other organisations for a small charge. All proceeds will go towards funding future FEI projects.

Anyone interested in borrowing the sacks can contact Penny Sinclair on (01642) 515696.