A traditional Easter egg hunt that first took place as a fundraiser to buy community land in Richmond is celebrating its fifteenth year on Easter Saturday.
Organised by local land charity, the Richmondshire Landscape Trust (ROSA), the event has become an established part of the town’s social calendar with well over two hundred people taking part each year.
This year’s hunt is on Saturday, April 20 and will run from 2pm to 4pm.
The starting point is from the lay-by next to the allotments on Westfields and the trail runs across the lower part of the historic pasture land owned by the trust.
Each participant will receive a boxed chocolate egg, which is included in the ticket cost of £2.50.
Another local charity, the Richmond Duck Club, is sponsoring the event so that entry costs can be kept at a minimum.
Chairman of the Richmondshire Landscape Trust, Gordon Love, said: “The Westfield Easter Egg Hunt is hugely popular with all ages and we have many people returning year after year.
“This is the fifteenth time that we have run the event and the feedback we receive is that it is a much-loved and fun part of many families’ Easter celebrations.
“Over the years we have had all kinds of conditions from warm picnic days to heavy snow. We always try to go ahead whatever the weather, and would love to see as many people there as possible on the day,” he added.
The Easter Egg Hunt was one of the first fundraising events held by the Richmondshire Landscape Trust when it was set up to raise money to buy several important areas of land under threat.
The charity now owns and manages a number of pieces of land around the town for community use and is still busy fundraising to maintain and enhance the different areas in its care. This ongoing work includes tree and meadow planting, wall and fence building and weed control.
Westfields is a large area of undulating pasture land that has spectacular views across the town towards the castle and was originally part of Richmond’s medieval three-field system.
As well as Westfields, the Trust owns a further five pieces of land around the town – Southbank, Sleegill, Jack King’s Wood, the Reeth Road Field and an area incorporating part of Scots Dyke.
Tickets for the Easter Egg Hunt are available in advance by emailing lorraine@belfrys.co.uk or can be bought on the day at the start of the event.
Previous years’ events have been very popular so people buying tickets on the day are advised to arrive early to avoid disappointment.
Any uncollected reserved tickets will be sold after 2.45pm.
All children must be accompanied by an adult.
