Shrewsbury car park transformed into Jurassic world
A shopping centre has found a T-rex-cellent way of getting visitors into town with its new dinosaur park.
The Parade in Shrewsbury has had its car park transformed into 'Evolution Park', complete with artificial grass, socially distanced picnic benches and its very own Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Shropshire Festivals' team carried out the work, commissioned by Shrewsbury Bid, to help promote the town being open for business after the easing of lockdown.
The park is themed around the father of evolution, Shrewsbury's Charles Darwin, and has an interactive recreational area with educational installations.
Youngsters can dig for fossils and create their own creatures, as well as read the evolution timeline and the Parade’s T-Rex.
Philip Freeman, proprietor of The Parade, hopes it will encourage families back in to the town centre. He said: “We are fully behind the work of the Bid to celebrate the town’s reopening and encourage footfall on to our streets again. The independent shops here at The Parade desperately need the support of the public to weather the continuous storm 2020 has been so far. We look forward to welcoming the public to the park, and I hope they will take a look around all of our shops whilst they are here.”
The Evolution Park will remain at The Parade, just off St Mary’s Street, until early September.
Beth Heath, director of fun at Shropshire Festivals, said their team took time out from their preparations for the first Shropshire Drive-in to install the new park. She said: “We are used to spending the warmer months creating bespoke kids trails and installations around the county, but of course there has been less demand for that in 2020. We were thrilled to be commissioned to create Evolution Park for the town.
"It is engaging, fun and educational for kids, and the perfect setting for a break during your shopping trip. We love the backdrop of the Parade’s historic building, and combining that history, with Darwin’s science, and Shrewsbury’s spirit for new growth, we think the result is perfect! We hope everyone comes and enjoys it before September!”
