On Wednesday 2 June, Andover residents attended the official opening of the Town Mills Riverside Park and enjoyed a day of free family fun. The Park was filled with Alice in Wonderland themed attractions, visitors were welcomed to explore the enchanted garden , take part in a giant bug hunt and experience the weird and wonderful playground of illusions.
Local Families enjoyed ice cream from Canto Gelato , cake from The Travelling cupcake food stands and Refreshments from the Town Mills pub. Families became creative with some Alice in Wonderland crafts provided by the Artroom and enjoyed some storytelling from Amanda’s Storytelling. There was also a chance to discover what wildlife can be found in our town river with a pond dipping stand.
Heather Whittam, the event organiser told Andover Radio on the day “I am here at the opening of Andovers newest park in Andover, the pedestrianised area down by Wilkos and behind the Town Millls. There is a lovely grassy area for people to sit and enjoy with lots going on including an Alice and Wonderland trail and storytelling with lots of crafts and activities. There are also different old illusions down by the river for people to enjoy.”
St Marys Ward Cllr Iris Anderson told Andover Radio, “This is a wonderful area, we have so many different activities available today which are all family orientated and free to do.”
Cllr Phil North said, “It was great to see so many people enjoying the new Riverside Park at Town Mills today as I welcomed the Deputy Leader of Hampshire County Council, Rob Humby and the Local Enterprise Partnership’s Head of Infrastructure, Kevin Travers to Andover to celebrate the completion of the project. A real collaboration between both organisations and Test Valley Borough Council, under the umbrella of Andover Vision.By showing them the fruits of our collective labour, I’m sure that the success at Town Mills will add further momentum to our ongoing conversations about the delivery of the wider masterplan. This is a really exciting time for Andover – and with the help of our partner organisations – I know we will be able to regenerate the town yet further.”
You can read more about this event on the front page of this weeks edition of the Love Andover Observer.
Visit the event section of our website here to make sure your family doesn’t miss out on future local events like this.