RYEDALE Folk Museum is hosting a weekend of activities exploring Rural Life on Saturday, 29 and Sunday, June 30.

The weekend will see staff and volunteers across the six-acre site showcasing how many of the Museum’s 20 buildings would have been used during different periods throughout history.

The focus is on how people lived, worked and played in the atmospheric buildings throughout the ages – from the Blacksmith’s workshop, to the wash house, to the Victorian cottage. As well as traditional crafts such as weaving, spinning and butter-making, there’ll be opportunities to try out maypole dancing and vintage fairground games.

Inspired by the pretty cottage gardens and history of rural art, visitors can also create land art using natural and ephemeral materials and take part in mini-mouse story sessions in the threshing barn, developed with the youngest visitors in mind.

Historic re-enactment is scheduled to take place in the Iron Age roundhouse throughout the weekend.

This event launches a new summer season, with a strong family focus at the Museum as it welcomes newly-appointed Events Coordinator, Rosie Goodwin, to the team.

She said: “It’s a fantastic time to join the Museum. I’m really looking forward to getting started in this new role,” said Rosie. “I spent my first days at the Museum talking to visitors and was overwhelmed by all the positive responses, by how special they find this delightful rural museum. Families love the space and really appreciate what’s on offer.”

“Our Rural Life Weekend will give visitors the opportunity to get really hands-on as they explore what life was like – whether that means buying traditional sweets in our 1950s sweet shop, watching the blacksmith at work, or trying out a variety of time-honoured rural crafts. There will be something for everyone.”

A wide range of activities are included in the standard admission price – and all standard admission tickets allow unlimited entry to the site for one year.

This season, there are also two new family trails, free to collect on entry, with lots of activities for young visitors and things to look for across the site.

Ryedale Folk Museum, Hutton le Hole, is open daily from 10am – 5pm. For more information visit www.ryedalefolkmuseum.co.uk