YOUNGSTERS from five schools in the area enjoyed a day in the countryside while taking part in a series of workshops at Faccombe Estate.

The Countryside Foun-dation for Education and Hampshire County Learning organised the evcnt, which saw pupils from Grateley, Clatford, Longparish and Hurstbourne Tarrant Primary Schools and Woolton Hill Junior School enjoying a variety of activities. Staff at the estate ran the stands and worked with the children on the different aspects of countryside life.

The workshops included learning about the different creatures on the estate, the damage they cause and how they are controlled, as well as the different traps used.

The children also watched a display on gun dog training, looked at 18 different tree species and heard about deer management.

Nicola Oliver-Bellasis, of the Countryside Foundation for Education, said: "It's the first time we have done it but we hope it will be an annual event. We're educating the children about the countryside and the great thing about it is we have five stands so they get to see so much."