DRYSTONE wallers and hedge layers will compete in a countryside contest today.

The event, aimed at showcasing traditional countryside skills, is being held at Ragpathside Farm, Lanchester, from 10am to 3.15pm.

As well as attracting more than 30 entrants for the two categories, the Tyne Tees Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) and the County Durham Hedgerow Partnership, which are organising the event, hope that members of the public will go and support it.

Clare Heaps, landscape manager for Durham County Council, part of the hedgerow partnership and one of the event's funders, said: "Encouraging traditional country skills is essential to the continued survival of the county's thousands of miles of hedgerows and drystone walls.

"Hedges now enjoy a degree of protection by law, but the general health of many is declining due to a combination of factors, including excessive trimming. Declining hedges can often be reinvigorated by being laid, so competitions such as this do a fantastic job in keeping these skills alive.

Marian Wilby, farm conservation advisor for the Tyne Tees FWAG, said: "We are delighted at the large number of entries in both competitions and would welcome the public to come and see these traditional skills up close."

There will be open, intermediate and novice classes in both categories, with cash on offer to the winners.

The event will include advice on field boundary management and grants available to farmers and landowners.