Was Your Summer As Good As Ours?

Carvings at the Cheshire Game & Country Fair

The latter part of the summer may have been somewhat unpredictable in the weather department but August 2010 turned out to be an exciting month for several of our clients.

Both Blue Planet Aquarium and Knowsley Safari Park were shortlisted for the prestigious title of Wildlife Attraction of the Year. To celebrate the best of the best, Eden satellite channel asked the public to vote for their favourite wildlife attraction in the UK – narrowing it down to only ten. Voting closes on 24th September and the winner will be announced in the autumn, so there’s still plenty of time for you to influence the outcome.

Chester Zoo launched its gorgeous new website complete with interactive map, videos and automated news updates. It is bright, bold, colourful ... in other words, lots of fun. Take a look for yourself and while you are there you can follow the progress of Nayan – the zoo’s five week old elephant calf.

Out & About in the Region

Team LDSTS found time to have some fun, too. Diana, Jenny and I went to the Cheshire Game & Country Fair over the August Bank Holiday weekend. This three-day annual event, which takes place at the Cheshire Showground in Tabley, was as action packed as ever. There were falconry displays, equestrian attractions, a mini beer festival, chainsaw carving competitions, over 150 trade exhibitors and even a hamster show.

Treacle & Buster take part in the Charity Companion Dog Show

Earlier in the month, several members of the team went along to a couple of dog shows in North Wales. The first was the Charity Companion Dog Show at Bellis Brothers (in Holt) on 14th August. Frequent bouts of heavy rain did nothing to deter the doggy competitors and their owners from taking part in both pedigree and novelty classes - with rosettes and prizes given for 1st to 4th place in each class. The day was a great success and all proceeds went to Nightingale House Hospice in Wrexham.

The sun shone brightly for Dog Day Afternoon at Alyn Waters Country Park on 19th August. Organised by the Friends of Alyn Waters Group (with support from Guide Dogs for the Blind, Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, PDSA and Greyhound Rescue Wales), this fun dog show was a hugely entertaining event. In addition to competitions there were agility demonstrations, stalls and owners were given the opportunity to have their pets micro-chipped. The show was very well attended and money was raised towards restoring a statue outside the Visitor Centre and carrying out repairs on a damaged newt pond. If you are interested in becoming a member of the group and helping conserve and develop the Park’s flora and fauna, please drop Brenda a line at brenda@maudling.co.uk. There are a series of Drop in Sessions taking place at the café over the next four months (commencing Monday 20th September). Why not nip in for a chat and find out how you can help?

So, where did you go this summer? Did you visit any local attractions, beauty spots or events? Send us your reviews and comments and we may very well publish them in Swift Flyer.

Images © LDS Tourism Services Ltd., 2010