A CENTURY of country pursuits will be celebrated during Sparsholt College’s Countryside Day.

For its centenary year, Saturday, 17 May will be a vintage- themed day packed full of entertainment, displays and hands-on activities for all ages.

Day to day Sparsholt is a modern, forward focused college but for Countryside Day there will also be a touch of the 40’s and 50’s with music from the Steve Miller Tribute Band and dancing from swing and jive dance groups.

Against the musical backdrop the Land Girls will give a taste of life over the past 100 years and a replica Second World War room will share some war-winning secrets.

There will be a host of machinery from the very latest models back to their vintage predecessors.

A traditional children’s fair will provide some good old fashioned fun and the tractor and trailer rides will help transport families all around the campus in true country style.

Guests can tackle the huge climbing wall in the brand new sports centre or try their aim with clay pigeons, laser clays and air rifles.

They can practise their casting on the college lake, try their hand at archery and be hoisted up a tree by arboriculture students.

New this year is the 360º Mobile Planetarium Experience and the have-a-go mountain bike track.

For those who prefer to observe rather than participate there will be gundog displays, ferret displays, falconry displays and duck herding.

In the equine centre there will be riding and show jumping displays and the horticulture department will have plant sales and a build-a-garden competition.

In the National Aquatics Training Centre you can even meet Nirvana, the bamboo shark made famous on Channel 4's Easter Egg Live programmes 2013, who just celebrated her first birthday.

There will be milking displays, sheep shearing displays, ploughing demonstrations and the pig unit will be open.

Assistance dogs only. No dogs should be brought onto the site, nor should dogs be left in cars in the car park.

Gates open at 9.30am until 5pm.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.sparsholt.ac.uk for a 15 per cent discount, or on the gate on the day.