OVER the first May Bank Holiday weekend, the National Trust is inviting local residents and visitors to help rechalk one of the oldest chalk figures in the country, the Uffington White Horse.

To keep the world-famous landmark white, the 3,000 year-old horse is rechalked once a year.

Instructions and equipment will be provided. National Trust rangers and volunteers will be on site to provide advice and encouragement.

Oxford Mail:

  • Volunteers helping to clean the White Horse last year

Trust ranger Andy Foley said: “This is a great opportunity for people to provide real hands-on help in looking after our local heritage.

“It’s quite a spectacle even for those who aren’t actually pounding the chalk, so we’d love as many people as possible to come along and join the fun, and there is no charge for taking part.”

The traditional rechalking became a well-known, large-scale public event until it was finally banned after the 1857 gathering, when it attracted more than 30,000 visitors and travellers, many of whom were reluctant to move on.