ONE of North Yorkshire's great stately homes put the emphasis on fun as it celebrated the bank holiday with a special children's weekend.

Castle Howard, near Malton, let its hair down for three days of special activities aimed squarely at its younger visitors.

A teddy bears' picnic saw hundreds of stuffed toys of all shapes and sizes brought along to the grounds, and inside the house was a display of prams and rocking horses - many of which have entertained generations of the Howard family.

Elsewhere, the fun included giant garden games, bouncy castles, an inflatable ball pool, puppet shows, fire-eating, costumed characters, face-painting, horse and carriage rides and quizzes.

Free "New Perspective" tours were also taking place - including Myths and Monsters, which told the fabulous, strange and scary stories depicted on the famous garden statues.