GREEN-fingered city residents are invited to take part in a hedge steeping class at Hooe Primary School this weekend.

Organised by the Devon Rural Skills Trust, a charity which aims to keep alive the traditional crafts and skills which have been practised in the county for centuries, the hedge steeping, or hedge laying, workshop will provide participants with a host of new practical skills.

Maxine McAdams, course instructor, said: "You won't need to go to the gym after a day's hedge laying – it's a great way to get fit, learn about our countryside's heritage and develop a new skill at the same time."

Hedge steeping helps maintain the greenery while creating a wind break, shelter for livestock, and a dense, continuous habitat for wildlife.

The course starts at 9.30am and finishes at 4.30pm. Anyone interested in booking a place or to find out more information about the Trust should contact Mick Godfrey on 01548 821156 or go to www.devonruralskillstrust.co.uk