Source: CCTV.com

03-27-2008 09:03

Britain's Easter holidays are traditionally a time for families to come together and enjoy a break. At historic Leeds Castle near Maidstone in Kent, hundreds of families joined together to enjoy some good, healthy fun, flying kites.

Britain's Easter holidays are traditionally a time for families to come together and enjoy a break.

A cobra 30 metres long, performs its serpentine dance high aloft, as ancient Leeds Castle rises sedately in the background.

The fortifications of this most beautiful English castle were laid nine hundred years ago. But in all its 900 years, the castle never has seen a festival of kite flying like this one.

Spectators watched in awe as mythical monsters - compelled by the wind - soared and plummeted according to the will of their handlers.

Jim Potts, sky artist, Leeds, "It's an outdoor hobby; gets you in the fresh air. We meet lots of friends. We get to talk to a lot of people and our general ethos is to try and get members of the public who have not seen a spectacle like this before interested in kite flying, particularly youngsters."

Mothers, fathers and children took shelter from the high winds under a craft marquee, where many took up the challenge to make their own kites.

Falcons,the predators of the air, came to life under the careful attention of dedicated new kite enthusiasts. Of course, when one is a hairdresser by trade, the handling of scissors is second nature.