SHERSTON went a little wild at the weekend as creatures of all shapes and sizes descended on the village.

Snail racing, bat walks, rescued creatures and a 4.15am appointment with the dawn chorus were just a few of the activities packed into Wild Sherston.

Coast presenter Miranda Krestovnikoff, brought her family and was so impressed she stayed for five hours and wanted to know if future events were planned.

“I spoke to her when she left and she said it was fantastic,” said Geoff Carss, one of the group that dreamed up the event aimed at bringing contact with nature back to families and encouraging them to make a difference to their environment.

“It was deliberately made to be a local initiative to improve knowledge and interest in the schools.”

He praised the village for its support. Many of the expert speakers and their organisations were contacts of residents or local groups that wanted to join in.

“We had a lot of children visit and we’ve had lots of positive feedback,” he said.

Groups including Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, Butterfly Conservation and the Forestry Commission were represented by stalls or in a series of talks. Visitors, who came from all over the area also had a chance to meet owls and other animals.

And it proved so popular ideas for follow up events are already being discussed, including installing cameras in nesting boxes