YOUNG gymnasts are busy practising for a national festival this weekend.

The children, aged from eight weeks to three years old, are presenting The Ugly Duckling at Tees Valley Leisure Gymfest.

They are all members of Stokesley Leisure Centre's Baby, Weenie and Fun 4 Baby gym classes. Forty children and their parents have been working on routines for the past six weeks.

They will be joined by a member of Northallerton Gymnastics Club, five-year-old Lois Tooke, who will play the ugly duckling.

Stokesley gym class coach Joanne Dicken said: "It has been great fun working with the children for this display - producing a piece with such young children has been a real challenge."

The display is part of the coursework Ms Dicken has to complete for her senior club coach qualification in pre-school gymnastics. The gymfest takes place at Eston Sports Academy on Teesside from tomorrow to Sunday between 10am and 7pm. It will be the third year of the festival.