A FOREST fair which traces its roots back three centuries will welcome thousands of visitors at this year’s event on Sunday.

The Wychwood Forest Fair, now in its 13th year as a modern event, promises more than 160 stalls and attractions on conservation and rural living.

It will be held at Foxburrow Wood, at Hailey, near Witney.

The fair is organised by the Wychwood Project, which carries out conservation and wildlife proection work in West Oxfordshire across the area which used to form the Wychwood Royal hunting forest.

New attractions for this year will include a chainsaw carver and a horse logging demonstration.

Project chairman and fair trustee Michael Drew said: “The Wychwood Forest Fair is our opportunity to showcase the many other organisations and individuals who give their time to conserve and restore landscape and wildlife habitats in the Wychwood Forest area and West Oxfordshire.”

He added: “The Wychwood Forest Fair is an old tradition that dates from the 1700s, but disappeared in the mid-1850s.

“The Wychwood Project resurrected it in 2000 and the numbers attending have grown steadily, along with the number of attractions, to reach its present level, when we can expect a sunny day to bring out more than 4,000 visitors.”

Foxburrow Wood is among new woodland being developed and now has more than 2,000 trees and 500 metres of hedgerow. For information visit wychwood project.org  or call 01865 815423.

The fair is open from 11am to 5pm. Tickets cost £6, with children under 16 admitted free of charge.