Crowds go wild for animal antics event

The free event, part of Wordpool’s Festival of Words, took place on Saturday.

Huge crowds turned up for the family fun day, said to be one of the busiest ever, which was organised by Blackpool Council using cash from an Arts Lottery Grant.

Entertainment on the day included Hippochondriac, a giant hippo that needed help from youngsters to brush its teeth; the popular Save Our Stories Rescue Ship, which told the tale of alien robots stealing an iPig; and the Bird in the Hand puppet theatre, telling stories through mime.

More than 20 attractions were crammed into the three-hour event, which started at 1pm in the park.