THE foot-and-mouth outbreak devastated the newly-established business of falconer Robert Allott, so he reinvented his business with the help of a medieval costume and a horse called Guinevere.

Robert, from Belmont, near Durham, is the first falconer established by The Prince's Trust, which helps more than 400 new entrepreneurs in the North-East into business every year.

The 31-year-old, who has had a passion for birds of prey since he was 12, hit on the idea of re-enacting a hunting scene as it might of happened 700 years ago, as a way of attracting attention to this year's country show organisers.

He said: "It's taken a long time to get the act together and produce a properly stage-managed show, but it's paying dividends and the reaction so far has been pretty good.

"I like to involve audiences, particularly children, and try to make my displays educational with a strong emphasis on conservation."

He said: "The medieval toughness is appropriate for my home county of Durham, which is known as the Land of the Prince Bishops.

"Falconry on horseback is not only unusual, but also extremely difficult and Guinevere and me have been training hard to master it."

Robert, who is already taking bookings for next year, is set to star at the world's largest medieval tournament in Sussex in August.