THORNBURY mother of two Michelle Davies has launched creative play sessions so toddlers and their parents can give free rein to fancy and indulge in some serious arts and crafts.

Mrs Davies started up Crafty Monkeys after noticing that there was a lack of craft-related activities for pre-school children.

Each of her 45-minute play sessions is carefully designed around a different theme, such as Gardens, Red Indians, and What Mum Does at Home. The happy, light-hearted atmosphere allows toddlers to wreak as much havoc as they like without destroying home furnishings.

Activities like vegetable prints and butterfly paintings are kept short to suit toddler attention spans and the products are then taken home to be prominently displayed.

Mrs Davies has a seemingly boundless stock of ideas, harvested from the internet, books and experiences with her own children, now aged one and two-and-a-half.

She emphasises that Crafty Monkeys is "not another toddler group." The focus is very much on arts and crafts and adults are involved from start to finish.

With a good attendance of fathers at similar groups in the Bristol area, Mrs Davies is hoping to encourage dads to participate in her own sessions.

Crafty Monkeys has been running for just over two weeks and will continue to run through the school holidays. Weekly sessions are held on Mondays (9.30am-10.15am or 10.30am-11.15am) at Christ the King church hall, Thornbury, and on Wednesdays (1-1.45pm or 2-2.45pm) in Severn Beach Village Hall. There are high hopes that sessions can eventually be run further afield.

For more details ring Mrs Davies on 01454 617161.