When dinosaurs roamed… Southport
Dinosaurs stalked the streets of Southport on Sunday on the final day of the Southport BID DinoTown spectacular. Andrew Brown reports
Families enjoyed coming face to face with dinosaurs roaming around Southport town centre on Sunday, on the final day of the Southport BID DinoTown initiative.
Four hand-held animatronic dinosaurs and rangers from G Models & Casting Agency walked around putting smiles on delighted children’s faces and calling into some of the businesses which were hosting DinoTown brick-built dinosaur models.
Shoppers were able to meet the very cute Terry the Pterodactyl; Spiral the Spinosaurus; Smudge the Stigimoloch; and Apollo the Ankylosaurs.
DinoTown by Southport BID has seen 15 awe-inspiring brick-built dinosaur Brickosaur models, consisting of over 550,000 bricks, placed in locations throughout Southport town centre.
The prehistoric figures have attracted visitors from across the region during the school Easter holidays. Families have been able to enjoy a whole host of dinosaur themed events and activities taking place.
Visitors also took part in a Dinormous Egg Hunt, where they could hunt out huge chocolate Easter eggs hidden around town.
New animatronic dinosaurs are the newest attraction offered by Southport-based G Models & Casting Agency, which creates unforgettable events and entertainment for clients across the UK.
The latest investment has seen several dinosaurs and other items bought from Dinosaur Encounter Cumbria.
G Models & Casting Agency CEO Lisa Hames said: “This was the second event we brought our new dinosaurs to, after our first event in Kirkby on Saturday which was tremendous, with so many people coming into the town centre to see them.
“We loved visiting some of the businesses in Southport town centre which were hosting the fabulous DinoTown models, including TK Maxx, Primark, Marks & Spencer, Wayfarers Shopping Arcade, and others, as well as meeting families in the Prehistoric Park in the Lord Street gardens outside Sainsbury’s.
“It was magical seeing children’s faces as they came up to see our dinosaurs! They were fascinated. We hope it has been a lovely surprise for them.
“DinoTown has been a fantastic asset to people in Southport. It’s been a real talking point, attracting lots of families into the town centre throughout the school Easter holidays. We were thrilled to be involved on the final day.
“We stage events and provide entertainment for clients across the UK, and it was nice to be able to do something in our home town.”
DinoTown by Southport BID created great reasons for visiting Southport town centre and its many shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, hotels and other local businesses during the school Easter holidays.
Visitors enjoyed seeing brick-built dinosaurs close-up at Lord Street Gardens, opposite Sainsbury’s supermarket, which was transformed into ‘Prehistoric Park’ for the duration of the DinoTown event.
Further models were being displayed at stores and internal locations around Southport town centre, including Marks and Spencer, TK Maxx, and Wayfarers Shopping Arcade.
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‘Dino-Selfie Zones’ were in place at ASDA and Silcock’s Flavours Ice Cream Parlour, where visitors could pose with brick models and enter competitions to win Dino-themed prizes.
There were plenty of dinosaur-themed events and activities taking place in businesses across Southport town centre with dino-workshops, character shows, colouring competitions, and much more.