Saturday saw the sixth staging of the annual Royston Pirates Day organised by Royston First, the organisation funded by local businesses.
No doubt encouraged by the pleasant weather on Saturday morning, nearly 300 completed entry forms where handed in. It is estimated that, including parents, grandparents and siblings, the town centre footfall was increased by over 1,000 during the 4 hours of the event.
On arrival into the market square, the children were issued with a set of clues leading to inflatable parrots hidden in shop windows. Those in costume were also invited to participate in the fancy dress competition. A total of 52 children took the opportunity to have their photos taken (a new record). Royston’s Mayor will be judging the entrants’ photos to determine the winner of a pirate chest of goodies!
There were also plenty of participatory craft activities on hand, including: pirate colour-in biff bats, pirate ship plate kits, pirate scratch art pictures and the, ever popular, glitter tattoos. In addition, every child completing the trail was issued with a sweet treasure and a pirate themed notepad as a reward for their efforts.
Town Manager Geraint Burnell, speaking on behalf of the Royston First organisation, stated “Once again I’m amazed by the response to our invitation to come into Royston and parade around as a pirate. It’s obviously something in the blood of Roystonians! The standard of fancy dress seems to improve every time – I doubt if real pirates were dressed half as well! I think a good time was had by all and I’d like to thank the PTA supporters who staffed the event and the businesses that paid for it.”
Pictures taken by Clive Porter
Press release by Royston First
