FAMILIES are being urged to branch out and try something new over the summer holidays at the Red Rose Forest Fever Festival.

The two-week celebration of the great outdoors will lay on activities for people of all ages, with taster sessions for canoeing, orienteering or rock climbing.

For those who are not fitness fanatics, the festival also offers street and craft workshops, nature trails, open air theatre and environmental fun days.

The festival, now in its seventh year, is also a chance to show off Bolton's green spaces and their potential for healthy exercise. They are open all year round and cheaper than a visit to the gym or health farm, say the organisers.

Local events will be held at Smithills and Moses Gate country parks, but other activities will take place in Bury, Leigh, Salford and other parts of Greater Manchester.

Young nature lovers will have a chance to show off their seedlings and learn more about the life cycle of plants on Saturday, August 10, at Westhoughton leisure centre.

The Red Rose Forest is one of 12 community forests being created in and around some of Britain's larger towns and cities in a bid to add more greenery and regenerate the landscape.

The initiative is a partnership of the Countryside Agency, the Forestry Commission and the six councils of Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Salford, Trafford and Wigan. For more details about the festival, call 0161 872 1660.