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Tree sculptor at work at Westonbirt

Since taking root at Westonbirt - the National Arboretum 10 years ago, the celebrated Festival of the Tree has blossomed.

And for one week this summer, from 18-25 August, it is set to draw more people than ever, experts, enthusiasts and tree lovers alike.

Across the week, alongside loads of family fun, the famous giant tree sculpting event Sculptree promises a three-metre-high milk bottle and a surfer's dream wave.

Then over the Bank Holiday weekend there's a fantastic Woodcraft Exhibition with expert demonstrations and artisan crafts and tools to buy - all against the fitting backdrop of rare and spectacular trees that make up this world-famous Forestry Commission tree garden.

For Sculptree, 12 of the world's top sculptors apply chainsaws, chisels and sheer muscle power to huge recycled Westonbirt tree trunks, carving out colossal works of art.

This year, nearly all the sculptors are home grown - including three new faces alongside festival favourites such as Lee Dickenson and Neil Gow from Stroud, whose Surfer is inspired by the great rollers breaking along Australia's coast.

Nostalgia is Paul Clarke's homage to a much slower pace of life - when blue tits stole the cream from the tops of doorstep milk bottles.

The annual Festival of the Tree is a real summer treat and a great day out for all the family. Alongside Sculptree, there are plenty of woodland crafts for the kids to join in over the week - from wand making and old-fashioned rides to the William Woodworm trail through the trees.

Over the long Bank Holiday weekend, from 22-25 August, the tented Woodcraft Exhibition becomes second home to over 150 renowned craftsmen and women - demonstrating their unique talents and selling specialist antique and new tools alongside artisan wooden products, from musical instruments to garden art.

With the resurgence of interest in working with wood, expert demonstrations including guitar making, cabinet making and boat building are increasingly popular, and last year's international masterclasses are back by huge demand - with Canadian Rob Cosman displaying his skills alongside the UK's John Lloyd and David Charlesworth.

There is even the rare opportunity to buy unique pieces of wood felled within the Arboretum to further skills at home.

The festival draws to an exciting close on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon (25 August), with the public auction of the mighty wooden sculptures created over the week.

This frantic auction raises many thousands of pounds for the Bristol-based charity Tree Aid, which helps support African villagers in planting and getting the most out of their trees.

On this final day, the winner of the British Woodcarvers' Association coveted Westonbirt Trophy is also announced - in honour of the best wood carving of the exhibition, as chosen purely by public vote.

Simon Hough, Westonbirt Arboretum's events manager, said: "The Festival of the Tree is what Westonbirt is all about - people with passion and a desire to share their skills and enthusiasm with others, including our thousands of visitors.

This week is becoming a firm favourite in our diary and has something for everyone, from real enthusiasts to people of all ages who simply love trees."

Westonbirt is open all year round. The festival is open from 9am to 5pm, and during that week admission to the whole arboretum is £8 for adults, £3 for children (18 years and under).

Annual membership is also available.

Westonbirt Arboretum is three miles south west of Tetbury on the A433 (Tetbury to Bath Road).

It is ten miles north east of Junction 18 of the M4, and south-east of junction 13 of the M5.

7:00am Saturday 19th July 2008

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