A herd of reindeer heading to city centre
Schoolkids serve up treat
An extra special herd of Santa’s reindeers will be arriving in Stirling this weekend.
The festive collection of 20 life–size reindeer, designed and decorated by schoolchildren from the area, will be featured in a range of shop windows as part of the first Stirling Reindeer Trail.
It’s hoped that the initiative, being launched by Go Forth Stirling Business Improvement District, will create a buzz around the city and inspire people to visit a variety of different retailers.
Shoppers and visitors will be encouraged to find all 20 reindeer hosted in businesses around Stirling, from Burghmuir Retail Park up to St Mary’s Wynd at the top of the town.
Customers are invited to download or pick up a map – complete with clues – and find and note down the location of each animal.
The winner of the Reindeer Trail, who will be drawn from all correct entries, will receive an iPad and there will also be five runners-up prizes .
Entrants will also be asked to vote for the Best Reindeer Design and the winning school will receive a prize.
Go Forth Stirling director Jon Walton said: “We want people to get excited about the city centre at Christmas and visit all the amazing independent and national traders we have in Stirling. Jon Walton
“There’s a great offering of different shops, restaurants, cafes and bars and the Reindeer Trail will get people engaging with them in a positive and fun way.”
Schools across the Stirling area were invited to submit individual or group designs for the reindeer models.
There were 160 entries and the 20 winners from 17 schools included Crianlarich Primary, Cornton Primary, McLaren High and Wallace High. Winners were provided with paints to decorate the 1.7- metre high 3D reindeer.
The animals will arrive at their new city centre homes on Saturday ready for the launch of the Reindeer Trail this Sunday as part of the Stirling Winter Festival Lights Switch On.
“Now the children can go out and have fun showing their families and friends the masterpiece they helped create and finding all the reindeer around the city,” said Mr Walton who praised the creativity of the children who took part.
Alan Rodgers, who runs Our Place Café, Stirling, with his wife Helen, is one of the business owners taking part in the Reindeer Trail.
He said: “It’s a brilliant initiative to bring people into the city centre and increase footfall and we were keen to get involved.
“It’s a good idea to have something different and fun that hasn’t been done in Stirling before and I think it’s great to have the interaction between the city’s businesses and schools.”
The reindeer will remain in Stirling throughout the festive season with the closing date for competition entries on Saturday, January 5, 2019.
More details about how to take part in the Reindeer Trail along with downloadable maps and entry forms can be found at www.stirling-city.co.uk
Information and entry forms can also be picked up at various locations throughout the city including the Thistles Shopping Centre, Reindeer Trail locations and Tourist Information Centre, St John Street.
Entries can be returned by post or via special Santa post boxes located in the Thistles Centre.