THE?BEST?of yesteryear’s countryside traditions presented in an engaging way is the ethos behind Rustic Sunday this weekend at the Rural Life Centre at Tilford.

Visitors can get fired up at the blacksmith’s forge, go with the grain at the woodyard and take a trip on the Old Kiln Light Railway steam train.

There will be numerous stalls and demonstrations too at the event tomorrow (Sunday), from 10am to 5pm, and a dolls’ house that’s big enough to enter.

Other attractions are a recently-reconstructed iron furnace, a farmers’ market, a jazz band and the museum’s permanent displays of agriculture and village life of a bygone age.

Rustic Sunday is one of the museum’s most popular events, and with agricultural techniques and equipment, and rural living evolving at a great pace, it is becoming increasingly relevant.

The museum was opened in 1973 and Rustic Sunday was soon established as a crucial fundraising event.

This role has remained unchanged, as has its charm.

Opening hours for the Rural Life Centre are Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Visit www.rural-life.org.uk for details.