BARDS, storytellers, musicians and dancers will descend on a woodland park for a storytelling festival on Sunday.

Using the ancient art of storytelling, the festival at Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park, near Billingham, Teesside, will explore the changing face of the park through the ages, from open marshes inhabited by sprites, to the barren years as a landfill site, and the transformation into a wildlife haven.

The festival, which is free, is called Marsh Men and Brick Women.

Stockton Borough Council countryside warden Martin Nunn said: "The men who lived and worked in these places gained a reputation as rugged as the swamps.

"The brick industry appeared much later, and many women were employed in this backbreaking work. We wanted to pay respect to our ancestors and honour their lives."

Visitors will be able to have a go at making their own bricks and take a journey through time on a "Storywalk".

Entertainment will also be laid on by local musicians and dancers. There will be various workshops, such as circus skills and storytelling, on offer through the day and stories will be told around the campfire.

To find out more, call (01642) 415225.