THE sights, sounds and skills of the country were on show as Sparsholt College, near Winchester, staged its annual rural extravaganza.

Cow milking, sheep shearing, falconry and horse riding displays entertained visitors.

In the horticultural area lecturer Chris Bird was showing off the college’s hedge-themed entry for the Chelsea Flower Show. He said it was a good chance to have a test run before the main event later this month.

“It’s more useful than normal,” said Mr Bird. “We’re having problems this year because of the cold weather, things are not flowering as quickly as normal.”