Campaigners fighting plans for houses on the green belt at Long Ashton enjoyed a protest picnic on the site.

About 35 Members of the Hands Off Long Ashton (HOLA) group ate gingerbread shaped like houses as they enjoyed some sunshine.

They are fighting proposals for about 10,000 homes to be built on green space south of the village as part of the Regional Spatial Strategy.

People of all ages attended the picnic, from one-year-olds to people in their 70s, all making their stand for the green land around the village.

HOLA was formed from the Long Ashton branch of the campaign against the South Bristol ring road but in the last year adapted from a single issue group to include the threat to the green belt.

The Long Ashton campaigners are working alongside the other Save Our Green Spaces groups around the Bristol area.

Bill Roberts, of HOLA, and a community musician wrote a song for campaigners to sing as part of their protest to the tune of My Old Man's A Dustman.

He said: "We wanted to do something that was positive as campaigning can be very negative.

"We wanted to get people out here on the land that is threatened .

"People were enjoying themselves, looking back across to see what a lovely village we live in.

"We want to let everybody as much as possible and as frequently as possible about what we are doing.

"People aren't just going to moan and do nothing about it, people actually care enough to do something as a community and oppose these plans."

Mr Roberts, 52, of Heath Ridge, said the group is collecting signatures for its petition until Thursday, ahead of it being sent to the Government.

People are being urged to contact the communities minister John Denham, who took over from Hazel Blears in last week's cabinet re-shuffle, to protest against the proposals under the Regional Spatial Strategy.

Ron Morton of Shortwood said he was concerned that the Government plan to press ahead with their plans for 500,000 new homes in the South West and more local people need to add their voices to the debate.