The wild Wyle Cop: Animals appear on famous Shrewsbury street
If you go down to the Cop today, you're in for a big surprise.
For on Shrewsbury's historic Wyle Cop there is a menagerie of creatures from a life-size bear to a baby elephant - all to celebrate the DarwIN Festival.
Shrewsbury Business Improvement District (BID) have created the town’s very own wildlife reserve, transforming Wyle Cop into ‘Wild Cop’.
Six life-sized fibreglass animals - including a gorilla, a lion, a zebra and a hippo - have been placed onto the closed section of Wyle Cop, meaning there are plenty of opportunities for photos and fun for children and adults alike.
A vacant shop front has also been transformed into a rainforest, complete with parrots and monkeys, providing entertainment for children which ties in with free activity booklets which can be picked up from shops along the road.
Seb Slater, executive director of Shrewsbury BID, said: "A part road closure presented an opportunity to do something fun and high impact over the half term break that wouldn't normally be possible.
"We hope it will attract more people to the town and to visit the UK’s longest row of uninterrupted independent businesses on Wyle Cop, as well as enjoy one of the many other events being run by our partners as part of the DarwIN Shrewsbury Festival.”
Hannah Schwarzer, marketing manager at Tanners Wines which has a store towards the bottom of the hill, added: “We love this project on the Cop.
"We were starting to get concerned over the reduced footfall we’ve been experiencing in our shop due to the road works.
"We’ve been running campaigns to try to mitigate their effects, but there’s only so much we can do, so we were thrilled when we heard about the ‘Wild Cop’ installation, and how well it has been executed.
"The animals look terrific and are proving a genuine draw. I can’t wait to bring my children to see them.”
Stacey Hill, owner of Oberon said: “It’s such a brilliant idea, and it is attracting so many people to the area already.
"All of the businesses are getting involved and excited about the idea, and it is really making a difference on Wyle Cop.
"We will be sure to create a wild display of our own to tie in with the theme.”
The ‘Wild Cop’ event will run until February 23.
For more information about the DarwIN Shrewsbury festival go to originalshrewsbury.co.uk/darwin.
