Lambing festival near Abingdon returns after Covid break

The festival gives visitors the chance to see expectant ewes and newborn lambs

A festival celebrating lambing and sustainable agriculture is returning for the first time in three years.

The Lambing Festival, run by environmental charity Earth Trust near Abingdon in Oxfordshire, was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Up to 2,000 people are expected to attend to see expectant ewes and newborn lambs, as well as other farming-based activities.

The trust said it would be "throwing the farm gates wide open".

The festival, running for two successive weekends, is aimed at creating awareness of sustainable food production and consumption. It was cancelled in 2020 when the pandemic struck.

"In recent years a lot has changed for the environmental charity, as well as the wider world. So this year's festival will undoubtedly look and feel a little different to previous years," the trust said.

Earth Trust promotes farming in a climate-friendly way to enhance biodiversity, minimise carbon emissions and maximise carbon capture, while producing quality food.

Chief executive Jayne Manley said the festival would "bring visitors a little closer to local food and farming".

"Farming systems and farming business, alongside the ecological systems that they rely upon, are going through a period of great change and getting the right balance for the future is complex and will require us all to make better more informed decisions," she added.