A local zoo is asking visitors to rummage among their photos and diaries and send in pictures and memories to help celebrate a significant milestone and be in with the chance to win a special reward.
In 1992, Milnthorpe’s Lakeland Wildlife Oasis opened its doors for the first time.
Over the last 30 years it has captivated and educated visitors with its furred, feathered and finned inhabitants, as well as contributing to many worldwide conservation programmes.
As part of the celebrations this year, the zoo is asking visitors to dig out pictures of their visits across the decades, which will then be displayed as a digital and physical wall of memories throughout the summer.
“We often have parents telling us how much they loved visiting as children,” says zoo founder Jo Marsden.
“It made us think what a perfect time to capture the zoo’s legacy, across 30 years of changes and challenges, as a thank you to our loyal supporters.”
The zoo is also welcoming stories, anecdotes and memories of family visits and memorable moments spent up close and personal with any of its amazing animals.
The best 10 photos and submissions will be rewarded with an invitation to the zoo’s anniversary party, on Saturday July 9, which includes entry and hot food from the BBQ for the people in the photo.
“We’ve already received some great pictures and memories,” says Jo, who’s been going through her own family albums.
“We’d love pictures of children visiting the zoo ‘then and now’- perhaps a scowling three-year-old who’s now an ecologist or a merchant banker – and it will be great to meet up with some of them, now they are grown up, at our party.
“You forget how quickly things change; I’ve found pictures of our family standing onsite when it was just an abandoned nursery glasshouse, looking a bit shellshocked at the work ahead of us!
“It’s been an incredible 30 years, and with the natural world under threat more than ever, we’re determined to continue making a difference over the next 30 years.”
The Lakeland Wildlife Oasis is open seven days a week from 10am to 5pm.
To keep up with all its news go to www.wildlifeoasis.co.uk or its Facebook page.
