MORE than 6,000 people attended a two-day wood fair to learn about and celebrate woodlands and heritage.

Run by the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the fun family day out also demonstrated a wide range of practical rural skills which are not often found in today’s woodlands.

There were lumberjack displays, large forestry machines in action, interactive theatre displays, traditional folk dancing, falconry, gun dog displays and wagon rides.

Visitors were also able to savour locally produced food and drink.

David Blake of AONB said they last held the event in 2007 on what had been a perfect weather weekend so Sunday’s bad weather had slightly affected turnout this year.

“We were still delighted,” he said.

“It went really well and there was a lovely atmosphere.

“There was a lot of interest in the landscape, lots of people discovering things about where they live and not only the physical landscape but the history and archaeology behind it.”

The fair will return in 2011.