Clowning around at Norden Farm's summer circus week

Children rolled up to try their hand at tightrope walking, unicycle riding and trapeze tricks for summer circus week at Norden Farm Centre for the Arts in Maidenhead.

The five-day workshop run by Albert & Friends Instant Circus is one of the centre's most popular holiday activities, with more than 60 youngsters attending each day.

A week of tough training under guidance from the professionals culminates in a grand performance on the Friday in front of family and friends.

The workshop has been running since Norden Farm opened 13 years ago.

"It was a really, really good week," said the art centre's education officer Oliver Laurenson-Gore.

"There’s not many opportunities for children to do circus skills. Every year we get some of the same children coming back, giving them a chance to improve.

"The highlight was the trapeze. We got three children on it together and it’s one of the hardest things to do.

"They were fearless."