Dinosaur-themed challenge to find fossils on walk in Wigan woodland

Kris Clarke has created the Winstanley Park Dino Trail for children and families around Blundell's Wood.
Kris Clarke has created the dinosaur-themed trail in Blundell's WoodKris Clarke has created the dinosaur-themed trail in Blundell's Wood
Kris Clarke has created the dinosaur-themed trail in Blundell's Wood

He has hidden around 15 fossils representing the terrifying beasts that roamed the Earth millions of years ago around the green spot and drawn up a map to help intrepid explorers find them.

Kris, who started streaming his daily walks around his local area on his Winstanley Walks page on Facebook several weeks ago after his work in photography and media was brought to an abrupt halt by the Covid-19 lockdown, said he wanted to do something interactive and exciting after realising growing numbers of youngsters were watching his walking videos with their parents.

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Kris, 37, said: “A young lad called Max Guixe, who’s six, sent me a couple of routes to walk. It got me thinking about doing a trail for children.

Max Guixe, six, with one of the fossilsMax Guixe, six, with one of the fossils
Max Guixe, six, with one of the fossils

“There was one through the woods which came to mind but it was a bit boring, so I thought I could make it more exciting by hiding fossils around the place.

“Some of them are quite easy to find, some are hard. There’s a big T-Rex one for people to find.

People seem to be getting quite excited about it.”

The dinosaur fossils are made from plaster of Paris and those following the trail have to take photos of them.

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Kris is urging participants to ensure they follow social distancing at all times and do not touch the models for reasons of hygiene and fragility.

The trail is also linked to a fund-raising page for NHS Charities Together which so far has raised more than £350.

Kris has seen the efforts to tackle the coronavirus first-hand as his wife Victoria is a microbiologist working in Covid-19 testing.

Kris says he is delighted by the way Winstanley Walks seems to have brought residents of all ages together.

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He has also created a website where people can view his routes and try them out for themselves.

He said: “I just started doing this as one person trying to stay sane with not much to do.

“It has been nice for a lot of people, myself included.

“People have shared pictures of their walks and older residents have been reminiscing about the places I’m walking through and what was there before.

“I will certainly keep the group going in the future.

“I think people want to come together at a time like this.”

To find out more about Winstanley Walks or the Winstanley Park Dino Trail visit www.facebook.com/groups/565115407734030/

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