NEW Forest youngsters added a few strings to their bows this school holiday - learning how to survive in the wild.

A group of them have spent a week in Hartford Wood, Beaulieu, making huts from bracken and branches, and cooking on an open fire.

And that's where the bows and strings came in handy - to start a campfire in true Boy Scout fashion.

The adventure week for a dozen 11- to 13-year-olds was organised by the Countryside Education Trust, and TV history expert Guy Apter was on hand to advise on ancient technology.

The children made their own mallets using bill hooks, and designed shelters to keep themselves dry in case of a night-time downpour.

Thirteen-year-old Emily Girling, from Milford-on- Sea, said: "It took ages to cover our shelter with bracken and beech leaves.

"We carried about 50 armfuls, but it should be pretty waterproof."

Her brother Harry, 12, explained : "To make a fire with no matches you need a bow, a thick shoe lace, and the papery bark from a silver birch."

Guy said his self-sufficiency team had natural aptitude for survival in the wild.

"I made a few suggestions and they got stuck in. I didn't need to tell anyone what to do," he said. For more information on CET activities, ring 01590 612401.

Guy Apter organises environmental and historical workshops. Contact him on 01458 831664 for more details.

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