Please share across your networks & help make our Dino Dig project a reality.

A FREE 3 week community event. Roarsome fun, educational & theatrical opportunities. Become a palaeontologist, complete trails, meet & greet a mischievous Raptor plus more ....

We would like to put on a Big Dino Dig event in The Strand Shopping Centre, at the heart of our community, including digging for fossils in a giant sandpit, dinosaur footprint trail, storytelling, dinosaur Ranger workshops, interviewing a palaeontologist, dinosaur crafts, comedy cavemen, meet and greet a baby dinosaur and hopefully an animatronic velociraptor walking around the Strand.

The project will offer an exciting, engaging and free event to children, families and the wider community hit very hard by the pandemic, bringing joy, fun, promoting wellbeing and bringing life back to our community.

The event will be based from our Victorian Explorer themed childrens bookshop and literacy project which promotes the joy of story through creativity, exploration and adventures. It promotes literacy through storytelling and engaging educational activities that will have a legacy beyond the event.

What we hope to deliver:

* 3 amazing fun filled weeks for local, young people and their families

* An animatronic Raptor stalking The Strand Shopping Centre

* Children's Ranger Workshops, Footprint Trail, Storytelling, Crafts

* Palaeontologist Dig

Why it's a great idea:

The event will bring people together, offer enjoyable volunteering opportunities and bring fun and excitement to help in community recovery post pandemic. It also provides opportunities to strengthen partnerships with schools, community groups and museums.

Beneficiaries include children, families and the wider community, many of whom cannot afford summer holiday activities. Wellbeing has been hugely impacted by the pandemic, with many households having lost jobs, lost loved ones and missed out on significant events. Many people feeling isolated and disconnected from their community.

- An exciting free event for families to look forward to

- Much needed family engagement within the area

- An opportunity for parents to educate their family on a low budget and without having to travel outside of Bootle

- Increased footfall within The Stand Shopping Centre