TREE sculptors drew the crowds at one of the region's biggest garden festivals at the weekend.

Renowned artist Lorraine Botterill was one of the sculptors who entertained 4,000 people who attended the Teesside Garden and Wood Festival with her creations of chickens, beavers and other objects suggested by the crowd.

The number of people attending this year's festival, at Preston Park, Eaglescliffe, near Stockton, was down by two or three thousand on last year.

"It was a bit wet and foggy and we are sure that had an affect," said organiser Doug Moore, who travels from Lincolnshire for the event. "It was a bit damp but it certainly was not in spirit. We've had kids playing, people mooching around and plenty of entertainment and it has been a very happy event. I used to come here just to trade but we loved it so much that when I was asked to help organise this year's event, I said yes. This place is just so nice and is one of the loveliest gardening events of the year in this country."

As well as specialist gardening stalls, a Radio Cleveland gardeners' question time and children's wildflower planting, there were a number of non-gardening events, including kite-flying and performing arts entertainers.