Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman took his dog, Dotty, along to present prizes at the National Hedgelaying Championships.

The event, held at West farm, Eaton, near Abingdon, on Saturday, included dog agility, ferret racing, trailer rides, stone walling, ploughing, trade stands and rural crafts.

About 1,000 people braved the mud to attend the contest which involved cutters shaping, weaving and winding the branches of the hedge to create a range of natural barriers for livestock.

University Challenge presenter Mr Paxman, who lives near Watlington, handed out the prizes to the best cutters. He said: "I am really interested in it. I was asked to come along and accepted."

Film star Jeremy Irons, who also lives near Watlington, is president of the Oxfordshire branch of the Council for the Protection of Rural England which helped sponsor the event.

He said: "It is encouraging to see so many involved in events such as today which are crucial in reviving the once dying rural crafts and highlighting the importance of hedgerows and dry stone walls in our countryside. Hedges are one of the defining features of our English landscape and long may they survive."

Mr Irons was taking part in a celebrity 100-mile motorcycle ride in America during which American Gigilo star Lauren Hutton, 55, suffered serious leg fractures in a crash. Mr Irons was not involved in the accident.