Call for funding help for biggest ever Lancaster dinosaur event

Tuesday, 25 April 2023 08:53

By Greg Lambert @greglam72

Dino Day in Lancaster in 2022. Image by Ginny Koppenhol Photography.

Organisers of the biggest ever dinosaur-themed event in Lancaster are calling for help with one last push for funding.

Lancaster Dino Fest returns to the city on July 8 and 9 with more dinosaurs than ever before and plans to add a fossil market, city centre dinosaur trail and mobile museum.

New attractions include shows from Dinomania who reached the semi-finals of TV show Britain's Got Talent last year.

Almost 600 school children will also benefit from free half day dinosaur workshops during the two weeks leading up to the festival, learning about Sir Richard Owen and his links to the city, learning about dinosaurs in the City Museum and hunting for dinosaurs throughout the city centre.

But event organisers Lancaster Business Improvement District (BID) need support to secure the final funding for the event.

The project has been raising funds through the crowd funding platform Spacehive and has received a pledge of £17,154 from Lancashire County Council through their Crowdfund Lancashire Culture and Sport Fund.

However, this funding will only be received if the project reaches the full fundraising target by the end of the month.

The project needs less than £600 in pledges, so every pledge, however small, can make a big difference.

At time of writing the project has received £33,261 of a targeted £33,857.

"The event draws huge crowds each year and really shows how much the local community love dinosaurs," said Tom Fyson, operations manager at Lancaster BID.

"Please show your support by making a small donation to make sure we reach our target and make Dino Fest 2023 the biggest and best yet.”

The annual event celebrates the legacy of Sir Richard Owen, who was born and grew up in Lancaster and became a renowned palaeontologist who invented the word dinosaur.

Donations can be from just £2 so, if your family love dinosaurs and you can afford to, you can pledge here.

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