Sheepdog trials will return to a west Norfolk farm next weekend for the first time in three years – offering visitors the chance to watch working dogs and their handlers in action.

The two-day event at Snettisham Park will attract competitors from across the country aiming to qualify for the English National Sheepdog Trials, to be held at Castle Howard, York, in August.

Organiser Graham Baldry, a former shepherd from Hillington, near King's Lynn, and a member of the East Anglian Sheepdog Society, said the Norfolk venue's public facilities and experience of welcoming visitors provided a valuable opportunity to showcase the traditional skill.

He said: 'We are quite keen to put it across to the public in an environment where we can explain it as well. Snettisham works very well because they have the facilities at the venue, and they have the sheep.

'We will have about 50 runners each day, from as far away as Lancashire and the Midlands.

'I would encourage people to come and watch because it is a dying art and we desperately need the public to understand that these sort of country pursuits need some kind of support to keep them going. It is an opportunity for the public to ask questions and gain a little more understanding of what we are trying to do.

'We also gain the odd handler by inviting the public. You would be surprised at how many people turn up to watch, and then want to do it themselves.

'Ultimately the East Anglian Sheepdog Society is trying to promote the working sheepdog. The Collie itself is born and bred to keep sheep, and unless we carry this on the only lines we will have left will be the Kennel Club lines for dog shows. It is about brains, not beauty.'

Edward Stanton, owner of Snettisham Park Farm, is providing the sheep for the trial, which will be judged by Anthony Warmington on Saturday and John Gent on Sunday.

Visitors to Snettisham Park on June 18 and 19 will be able to watch the sheepdog trials, which start at 8.30am and runs throughout the day.