A CRAFTSMAN whose work is about to take centre stage in a new British film will be among the exhibitors at a woodland festival this week.

Keith Pickering supplies unusual walking sticks to customers around the world from his Stick Man workshop in Helmsley, North Yorkshire.

He has just finished working on a commission for the film Nanny McPhee, which features Academy Award-winning actress Emma Thompson. She plays a nanny who uses a walking stick to cast mystical powers over children.

Mr Pickering said: "It had to be a very old, knobbly stick and the film makers contacted me to see if I could help.

"Fortunately, a couple of years ago I had spotted a gnarled piece of beech growing in a nearby wood. I cut it and stored it in the workshop, not sure if I would ever find a use for it.

"I had to send it down to Emma Thompson who said it was exactly what they were looking for. The film makers then took a cast of the stick so they could have a number of replicas for use in the different film locations."

He will be demonstrating his skills at the Woodland Festival in Dalby Forest, near Pickering, North Yorkshire. It is the first event of its kind to be held in the 8,600-acre forest and will be based at Staindale Lake.

Mr Pickering will be joined by a hurdle maker, a basket weaver, a blacksmith and a chainsaw sculptor.

The festival, which starts tomorrow and runs until Sunday, has been organised by the Friends of Dalby Forest, the Forestry Commission and David Hutchinson, from the Yorkshire Charcoal Company.