NATURE lovers can foster their very own piece of a North Yorkshire forest this Sunday.

Dalby Forest, near Pickering, is to be the stage for a free, seed gathering Sunday, between 10am and 4pm. Visitors can collect seeds from trees such as oak, beech, hawthorne and hazelnut, and take them home to nurture in their gardens.

Successful foresters can then opt to plant their young saplings back into specially designated areas of the 8,600 acre wood, where they can be admired by more than 250,000 visitors a year.

Ranger Andrew Orland said: "An excellent free information pack will be available at the visitor centre, offering tips on collecting and identifying seeds and propagating them in gardens. Some varieties are fairly straight forward to grow, but others are more difficult, making it a rewarding challenge."

Dalby Forest has also gone online to enable visitors to experience the best of this year's Autumn colours. Foresters are updating the website each week, charting the seasonal colour changes.

For more information visit www.forestry.gov.uk, or call 0845 3673787 for a free Autumn Colours pack.