COTSWOLD Feature
Florence and one of the
smaller hares Hop on over to Cirencester The Cirencester community will be celebrating a new and vibrant festival this coming
March, one which sees a drove of hare statues all shapes, sizes and colours dotted around town. Megan Archer went to find out what the Cirencester March Hare Festival is all about before it arrives to take over the town next month...
FROM March this year, Cirencester will have experienced a transformation, with brilliant and brightly coloured hare statues appearing all over the town. A drove of fibre-glass hare models will
be descending on Cirencester and the surrounding area in just a month’s time as part of the Cirencester March Hare Festival 2014. Communities and businesses have been
signing up since autumn last year to sponsor one of the hares, which come in a variety of sizes. Inspiration was taken from similar festivals such as the Gromit Unleashed trail in Bristol. Already a couple of hares have been appearing around town before the festival
Inspiring life in the Cotswolds
itself has even properly taken off with Victorian-style Mr Daniel Hare sitting proudly in the town’s shopping mall Bishop’s Walk. Festival organiser Florence Beetlestone
said the March event will provide a wonderful opportunity for the people of Cirencester to celebrate their town. “They can all get involved in a lovely
fun project,” she said. “We aim to raise over £50,000 for the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust to enable them to set up a permanent new walkway around the River Churn, so everyone benefits. “As the festival runs for six months it
gives everyone the chance to join in and make it a major tourist attraction.”
Already 25 sponsors have signed up for
a hare statue and many have already started planning how to decorate their prized model. The statues range from five foot tall statues, to tinier models ideal for small businesses or communities to sponsor. Cotswold Airport and Kingshill School
are the latest establishments to accept their special delivery and are already busy transforming their hares into a piece of art. Talented Kingshill pupil Holly Elphick
beat hundreds of other students in a competition at her school to create a design for the hare. Her colourful and decorative design is already being painted onto the statue with students giving up
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