FLOCKS of families made their way down to the Peppa Pig event in St Helens town centre on Friday, making the day a great success.

The children's event took place between 11am - 4pm on Friday, July 23, in Church Square, with queues of families lining up to take their picture with Peppa, George, and Mummy and Daddy Pig.

St Helens Star: A young boy with his favourite children's characters (Pic: Bernard Platt)A young boy with his favourite children's characters (Pic: Bernard Platt)

This was the first organised St Helens Borough Council event since the start of the pandemic, and families across St Helens took up the offer to enjoy the free occasion, which put a lot of smiles on young faces. 

St Helens Star: Families queuing for a picture with Peppa and the family, (Pic: Bernard Platt)Families queuing for a picture with Peppa and the family, (Pic: Bernard Platt)

Mayor Sue Murphy and other council members were also in attendance to celebrate the occassion.

St Helens Star: Mayor Sue Murphy with a family at the Peppa Pig event, (Pic: Bernard Platt)Mayor Sue Murphy with a family at the Peppa Pig event, (Pic: Bernard Platt)

In a statement prior to the event, Councillor Anthony Burns, cabinet member for wellbeing, culture and heritage, said: “It’s great that we’re finally going back to some sort of normality, with the return of our fantastic free events programme which I know so many families value as a source of entertainment for their children, who have missed out on so much during the past 18-months or so.

“Now that more restrictions are being lifted, hopefully we can go back to proving our quality offer of free entertainment, courtesy of our fantastic events team, on a more regular basis to attract families into our town centres and open spaces.

St Helens Star: A family enjoying the St Helens sunshine at the event, (Pic: Bernard Platt)A family enjoying the St Helens sunshine at the event, (Pic: Bernard Platt)

When attending future public events, the council encouraged residents to show their support to local businesses, whether that be visiting an independent coffee shop or shopping in a local store.

However, with coronavirus still present in our communities, it was also advised to continue to do everything necessary to keep yourself and others safe when congregating at public events.

St Helens Star: The free event took place on Friday, July 23, (Pic: Bernard Platt)The free event took place on Friday, July 23, (Pic: Bernard Platt)

For another chance to see Peppa Pig, the children's character will be going on tour across the UK later in the year and into 2022, and will be at St Helen’s Theatre Royal next June.