Animal day a hit with people

It was a most successful event and was the brainchild of Caroline Bentham, who runs the Sun Parlour Cafe, together with the Spa Gardens Committee.

“The purpose was to raise awareness of the beautiful Spa Gardens and to increase the footfall and it certainly did that” said committee member Mary Watson.

“Many families came to enjoy the event and children could participate in the varied activities.

“Many people, staff and customers from far and wide, had knitted animals and these were placed on the railings in front of the cafe and provided a most attractive backdrop to the day.

“They are still there at the moment and are worth seeing. Their colourful appearance rivals the lovely flowers, which are such a feature of the gardens.”

Some of the activities included turning the bandstand into an aquarium, stalls and craft activities.

There were named “sheep” hanging in the trees and they had to be identified on a quiz sheet. Another quiz was to identify pairs of animals in the flowerbeds and say which one was a lonely only. All quiz sheets were placed in a draw and a winner drawn out in each case.

“The whole event could not have taken place without the effort and enthusiasm of the dozens of volunteers,” added Mary.

“They had worked for many weeks beforehand and for many hours on the day. It was a splendid result!”

Picture by Helen Tabor.