Fun at the Annual Children's Exhibition & Fun Day
Our Annual Exhibition & Fun Day took place at the Bridgend Recreation Centre on Thursday 8th April. This year's theme was ‘Disney’. Organisers and stand holders along with many of the children dressed up as favourite Disney characters to add to the fun.
We were very pleased that even with his extremely busy schedule the First Minister, Carwyn Jones, once again supported the event and this year got the day off to a good start by officially opening the event. He welcomed the children and their families to the Fun Day and spent quite a lot of time meeting the stand holders and finding out about the day.
The Mayor, Cllr Jefferson Tildesley attended the event along with other dignitaries, including Jo Farrar, the Chief Executive of Bridgend Borough Council. I believe they were very impressed by the variety of activities available, the amount of children and the information available for the parents provided by the different agencies and services available in the Bridgend Borough.
Roger Goss, the centre manager, commented that this was the most well attended Fun Day yet. Many families took advantage of the sun and visited the park outside then returned throughout the day to the many activities on offer. It is estimated that 2500 plus visited the event, which is an increase on last year.
The children could take part in art and craft activities, have their faces painted, practice their driving skills with the Krazy Karts, have fun on the
bouncy castles, taste some unusual fruit on the healthy eating stand, make music in the drumming workshops and much much more….
Every year we try to build on the success of the previous event and introduce some new aspects to the day. The Disney themed activities included wand making, badge making and seed planting. This year we were very pleased to welcome back BridgeFM who broadcasted a live show from the Fun Day, playing requests and interviewing some of the stand holders. Feedback indicates that the broadcast was a big hit.
The free water bottles were once again welcomed by the parents and enjoyed by the children. I feel the parents appreciated the free water as the children soon needed refreshments, having fun is thirsty work.
The feedback from our evaluation forms and games that engaged the young children to get their views show that the day was a great success.
