Chester Zoo: An unforgettable day out

Chester Zoo has enjoyed an eventful year, from leading an international study into heart disease among great apes and hosting a summit of representatives from the UK’s top tourist attractions to unveiling its £30 million Islands development - a unique conservation expedition, which is expected to open for Easter 2015.

On 17th May, The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, officially opened the gates to the Diamond Jubilee Quarter – a new entrance to the zoo. Long-standing members and other community partners were invited to watch while excited crowds lined the opening. The royal couple took a ride on the attraction’s monorail before Her Majesty had a face to face encounter with the Rhinos.

As if that wasn’t exciting enough, the management of LDS Tourism Services visited the zoo earlier this month as an end of season treat. A splendid time was had by all: the highlights being the Fruit Bat Forest, Aviary and Meerkats. But there was so much to see (did I mention the new baby Giraffe?) that it was unanimously decided that another visit will be necessary.

A great big thank-you to Chester Zoo for a fabulous day out!

 

 

Image: Chester Zoo, © LDS Tourism Services Ltd 2012

Dinosaurs at large in Chester Zoo

Last week Jenny and I were lucky enough to be invited to the opening of Chester Zoo's brand new 'Dinosaurs at Large' exhibition.

The exhibition will be at the Zoo until until 8th October and features thirteen incredible life size animatronic dinosaurs. Entry to the exhibit is included in the price of your zoo admission.

We began the day with an opening ceremony by Council Trustee, Peter Wheeler, Chester Mayor, Eleanor Johnson and Chair of Governors, Barbara Smith. After the cutting of the ribbon we entered the exhibition accompanied by a welcome song from pupils of a local primary school.


We couldn't wait for our first sight of the of the prehistoric creatures and weren't disappointed when we spotted our first Triceratops! The animatronic figures are amazingly life-like and treat passers by with movement, sounds and some other surprises too!

Round each corner a new dinosaur comes to life in a natural surrounding. My personal favourite was the Apatosaurus but I would encourage you to visit and discover your own prehistoric preference.

There are plenty of other dinosaur themed events happening this summer, including dino-face painting. Chester Zoo is a full day out with lots to see and do so why not visit this summer and step back in time with Dinosaurs at Large. You can pick up a Chester Zoo leaflet from LDSTS display stands around the region.




Image: Dinosaurs at Large @ Chester Zoo, © LDS Tourism Services Ltd, 2011

Let Battle Commence

Cheshire Farm Ice Creams

The two-week Easter break was more hectic than even we had anticipated and our headquarters began to resemble Churchill’s war rooms at the height of WWII.

The sheer logistics involved in ensuring all areas and major establishments are supplied with the correct leaflets both before and during the school holidays can be daunting - especially when so many outlets don‘t open for business until the very last moment - but Team LDSTS pulled it off once again, winning untold battles.

Fun on the farm

Diana and I were able to take some time out over the weekend before Easter to visit Cheshire Farm Ice Cream in Tattenhall. We simply couldn’t resist the lure of those Malt Tease and Honeycomb flavours in giant double-cones - but with our 14-year-old niece in tow, we had the perfect excuse to indulge.

There have been numerous improvements made since we first began distributing the attraction’s leaflets many years ago. Tom and Margaret Fell have invested a great deal in old Drumlan Hall Farm and it now attracts over 250,000 visitors a year and supplies Real Dairy Ice Cream to restaurants and retail outlets throughout the region.

There are plenty of activities to keep young people entertained, such as Crazy Daisy’s Play Barn and Animal Corner - where we were delighted to meet baby guinea pigs, Buff Orpington chickens and numerous fluffy and feathered critters - before purchasing our ice creams. We also ambled through the gift shops, visited a milking area, scratched the bellies of three young kune kune pigs and stood on a platform to watch some thirty or so adorable, long-lashed calves being fed. A thoroughly enjoyable experience!

In print and on page

We would like to thank Wayne Lowe, a presenter at Radio Clatterbridge, for publishing an article about LDS Tourism Services in his blog, Rain Glow, on 30th March. He tells me that he’s hoping to do something about us on his radio show at some point in the future, so we’ll let you know if and when that happens.

If you happen to pick up a copy of The Mersey Partnership’s new publication, Developing The Economy Of The Liverpool City Region, you will find us listed on page 32. It contains some fascinating articles about the Visitor Economy, Investment and Liverpool SuperPort, among others - so it’s well worth borrowing a copy if you’re not a member.

We are also extremely grateful to those of you who contacted us following our previous post about becoming a Guest Blogger for Swift Flyer. We have plans to run a number of the most interesting pieces over the coming weeks, but in the meantime, please keep sending your submissions in the main body of an email  (I’m afraid we can’t accept attachments) or by hard copy to LDS Tourism Services Ltd., Border Distribution Centre, River Lane, Saltney, Chester CH4 8RH.

We look forward to receiving your suggestions, photos and articles.


Image: Cheshire Farm Ice Cream, © LDS Tourism Services Ltd, 2010