A POPULAR dog festival will return to a North Yorkshire stately home.

Castle Howard’s Festival of Dogs will take place this Saturday (May 21) and Sunday (May 22).

Entertainment will be provided, including workshops from world famous animators Aardman, of Chicken Run and Wallace and Gromit fame.

These workshops will offer event goers the chance to make their own clay dog characters from franchises like Shaun the Sheep.

Charities and dog retailers will be at the event’s Festival Village, with food and drink also on offer.

York Dog Park will deliver "dog socialisation sessions" and Ryedale Dog Rescue will also host a dog show.

A spokesperson for Castle Howard said the festival will be the “biggest of its kind to date.” They said: “The south front of the House will host a festival village dedicated to the best in pet care.

“From selfies with a two-metre dog made entirely from flowers by Prestige Flowers to being saved by a working Newfoundland in the South Lake, to photography sessions with blogger and hiker Paul Steele before leading a community dog walk across the Estate at the end of each day.”

All activities during the Dog Festival are included in the cost of a standard admission ticket.

More information can be found on Castle Howard’s website: https://www.castlehoward.co.uk/whats-on/festival-of-dogs.