• Thanks to shows like Riverdance there has been an upsurge of interest in regional dance, so why not head to Skipton for the annual Clogfest this weekend? Clog dancers from all over England will be dancing around Skipton town centre on Saturday followed by a showcase featuring all the teams at the canal basin in Coach Street at 2.30pm. On Sunday there will be performances in the grounds of Skipton Castle. While you are in Skipton why not pop in to Skipton Auction Mart? It's home to the Mart Theatre, which is hosting Folk at the Mart, its first one-day folk event, featuring some of the best artists in traditional music. Details on www.themarttheatre.org.uk
  • Why not help your children research their own family history, with a little bit of help from the internet? The Findtree initiative offers a great opportunity for children to spend time with the family and learn more about their history. Findtree.co.uk - the genealogy specialists - has developed a special area of its site specifically to help children get started with a family history project. Forms will help children track their family links and there is even space for photographs so they can develop a visual record of their family members which will grow into a family tree. Not only will this free service engage their imaginations, it could provide them with an activity that will last all through the summer holidays.
  • Family feeling a bit stressed because the bad weather has kept them in? Suffering from cabin fever? Then get rid of some stress with a spot of balsam bashing in Buck Wood, Thackley, tomorrow. Why bash the balsam? Because although it has pretty pink flowers, it's extremely invasive, smothering native flora and grasses, colonising entire lengths of river and canal banks and other damp places - of which there are plenty in Buck Wood and the job of clearing the balsam has to be done before the seeds are ready to spread. Join the balsam bashing session tomorrow at 1.30pm. Meet at the Thackley Road entrance to the wood. You'll be supplied with gloves to keep your hands clean. It's not hard work, but you will be making a difference.