The people of Preston flocked to Avenham park yesterday to join in the Easter fun, from live music to home cooked Lancashire food, there was something for everyone.

The Guild decided to take on the egg rolling event as a Victorian tradition and utilized it through their Victorian style fairground which had a carousel and teacup rides. Horse and carriage rides were also taking place through the parks for a romantic ride or a bit of family fun.

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There was so much entertainment throughout the day, the ‘Slightly Fat Features’ were particularly exciting, shocking hundreds of Preston citizens on Miller Park with their outrageous stunts. People of all ages got involved, helping the stunt men to get into strait jackets and onto to six foot high unicycles.

The ‘Hippochondriac’ mechanical hippopotamus kept the children entertained with a puppet show and the parents were kept happy with a live band which played throughout the day, getting everyone in the mood for a little dancing.

Rebecca Charnley, 25, former UCLan student, thought that it was perfect; ‘I think it’s lovely how they are making the use of the beautiful parks. It’s great to get the community involved and when the ‘slightly fat features’ variety came on I thought it was just brilliant, it’s such a great taste of what the Guild will bring in 2012, its really exciting.’

Stella Hall, Guild director, was joined by Father Timothy Lipscombe and Mayor Albert Richardson to judge the ‘Easter Bonnet Designer 2011’ competition. The contestants made a huge effort to make the best bonnets they could, three art and design students at UCLan got involved by designing hats for the judges.

Andrew James, Daniel Chu and Stephanie Fallon were set a brief by their lecturer David Knight to design a hat that referred to the wearer’s personality and interests, and they didn’t disappoint.

As the countdown to the Guild in 2012 begins, yesterday’s event just shows how big it will be. The egg rolling is such a traditional and momentous occasion every year in Preston and one of the only cities to keep the Lancashire tradition going.

Photos by Dan McCormick, video by John Walker.