IT may be the depths of winter and freezing cold but the Dales Millenium Trust is appealing to people to think spring and summer so they can organise their Festival of Flowers for next year.

Over 40,000 people over the past decade have been involved in events celebrating flowers, fauna and the special landscapes of the Dales which have been part of the Festival.

The Trust which is backed by funding through the People's Postcode Lottery, brings together a directory of nature and wildflower events from March to October.

Over 100 are regularly featured including guided walks, talks, arts and crafts, identification courses and a wide range of fun and educational activities for children.

The details can be entered free of charge in the festival brochure, with sponsorship and advertising also on offer. Leah Galloway, Flowers of the Dales project officer said: "The Festival has proved to be a really effective way to help promote local businesses to a wide audience whilst boosting attendance at the fantastic events that make up the Festival. We’d love to hear about nature-themed events taking place in the Yorkshire Dales and surrounding areas from March to October.”

Colin Newlands, Manager at Ingleborough Nature Reserve, said: “We have been part of the Flowers of the Dales Festival since it began. It’s great to support an annual event that celebrates the special wildlife of the Yorkshire Dales. We publicise all our events in the festival programme and hundreds of people have enjoyed walks, talks and workshops on the reserve as a result. The Trust do an excellent job in organising and promoting the festival and reach an audience far greater than we could do on our own."

For information about the Festival email info@ydmt.org by Monday January 8.