Jurassic Lanark welcomes 6000 visitors to summer trail
Thousands of dinosaurs hunters flocked to Lanark for a fifth successive summer for the town's annual Jurassic trail, with this year's visitors once again praising the fabulous family adventure.
More than 6100 trail maps were distributed to guide children and families around the 25 animatronic installations and giant sculptures located in the town centre at at Castlebank Park – with visitors coming from from as far afield as Edinburgh, Stirling and Ayrshire for the annual fun festival.
New additions of moving parasaurolophus and ankylosaurus models proved popular additions to this year's line-up, alongside returning firm favourites and a busy programme of events led by the Jurassic Lanark ranger team, including special fun weekends for the youngest visitors.
Research by organisers Discover Lanark showed that 93 per cent of visitors rated the dino-mite experience 'very good', while nearly nine in 10 used the town's cafes and restaurants and 62 per cent spent money in local shops during their time in Lanark.
There were 2400 entries to the free trail's prize draw, and nearly one in five of those who took part in the Jurassic Lanark trail during the dinosaurs' seven-week appearance were making their first visit to the town.
Discover Lanark business improvement district manager Antonia Pompa said: 'We were really pleased with the feedback – there was a very positive atmosphere in the town and it was really lovely to see families going round with their maps.
'We always try to introduce new things so we had the animatronic ankylosaurus and parasaurolophus, and a large T-Rex head outside the Tolbooth, and then the models are moved around each year to create different scenes.
'They're in place in both the town centre and Castlebank Park, and families said how much they appreciated the park and all that they can do there as well as part of the experience.
'It's been great and it's been delightful to see families out together with their maps, whether it's children, parents or grandparents, and really enjoying the trail together over the summer.'
The dinosaur-themed attractions also included appearances from popular event mascot Roary, plus Lanark memorial hall hosting the interactive Dinosaur Adventure to 'save Volcano Island from a jurassic storm'.
Discover Lanark posted on Facebook as the seven-week extravaganza came to a close: 'A big thank you to everyone who has visited the town and supported the trail and our local businesses, and to everyone who has worked so hard to make it a success and all the town's businesses who have entered into the spirit of our dinosaur spectacular.'
They received hundreds of appreciative comments from visitors and families, praising the 'brilliant' free event and the 'lovely atmosphere' in the town throughout the summer.
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