SPRING in Oxfordshire ha arrived: the Earth Trust has announced the dates for this year's lambing weekends.

The environmental charity near Didcot will be welcoming thousands of visitors to fawn over adorable baby sheep next week, March 17 and 18, and the weekend after, March 24 and 25.

The event, which attracted more than 8,500 visitors last year, offers the opportunity to not only meet new-born lambs, but also pigs and piglets, goats and kids.

There will also be a range of activities including 'bale climbing' for children and a brand new ‘Be a Farmer’ area.

Earth Trust CEO Jayne Manley said: "Our lambing festival is our biggest event of the year, and offers people the opportunity to get behind the scenes of our working farm.

"The first lambs were born in the middle of February, and many more will be born over our lambing period.

"You may even be fortunate enough to see this at the event."

The animals at the Earth Trust are owned and looked after by the charity's Farm Step tenant farmers.

Among them are Emma Blomfield, who runs Emma's Ewesful Acres, Fraster and Rachel Yarrow whose Anglo Nubian goats produce Norton & Yarrow Cheese, and Mark Cooper of Coopers Oxford Pork.

Each lambing day is open from 10am to 4pm (last admission 3.30pm) and costs £8 for adults, £5 for children and £22 for a family of four. Emma’s Ewesful Acres will run a barbecue and other refreshments will be available in the Poem Tree café.