A Happy New Year to readers of the blog. I blew off a few cobwebs on News Years Day around the Conkers Circuit section of NCN 63 which was a bit muddy in places but very nice in the unseasonably mild weather.
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| 7 Swans Swimming at Green Bank! |
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| Bark the Herald Angels Sing near Town Hall. |
On New Years Eve I checked some of the NCN sections around Swadlincote itself and will put more about that in another post soon. However I must confess my main reason was to take a look at the Snowman and Snowdog trail.
This certainly isn't a typical blog post but the activity takes place around a small part of the local cycle network and is an activity that clearly promotes family time and exercise. Given the strange couple of years we've all had, it's great to shout about something that has engaged people extremely well, especially young children. It's also a chance to support some of those who have supported our activities over the years in South Derbyshire as there have been some excellent activities planned over the Christmas period which have been spread out over a longer period as opposed to the normal and well attended lights switch on event. Given recent developments with the pandemic, the decision to do so has been vindicated.
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| Three French Hens Snowman outside the Library |
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| 12 Drummers in Rink Way |
The trail itself arrived on the 20th November and is in Swadlincote until 16th January so there is not a lot of time to see it if you haven't already. The trail is based on Raymond Briggs short film The Snowman and the Snowdog and there are bright sculptures placed around the small town centre. Each sculpture is uniquely decorated and they all feature an explanation of the sculpture and information about the artist. They are all based around the 12 days of Christmas theme and have been arranged by South Derbyshire District Council and Wild in Art.
This is a very simple concept but one that has been extremely engaging. As I've been in and around the town centre I've been amazed at the number of people stopping for photos with the sculptures - even now, weeks after it arrived. I've been aware of friends who live around Derby or Burton coming over to Swadlincote, some for the first time, to show their children the trail. Hopefully it has been commercially successful for Swadlincote after a hard couple of years. Even if not, then it is great to see people out enjoying themselves on something that is free for everyone.
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| Partridge in a Pear Tree |
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| Eleven Pipers near Ski-slope |
You can still pick up trail leaflets from places around Swadlincote (No.2 Coffee house on the Delph is the Trail HQ but other places such as Sharpes Pottery Museum may still have them) or click on the link here to download the information map. The link will likely expire once the trail finishes.
I've put a few images of the sculptures on but there are a few more to see.
