Face Finding Fun for Families
It can be hard to entertain the children over the summer holidays, but the job just got much easier in Alresford thanks to a collaboration between Perins School, local businesses and local organisations.
The Face Finding Mission takes place from 22 July to 3 September. Alresford Town Centre will be hosting colourful masks along Broad Street, West Street and East Street.
The “mission” is to find all of these faces around town. Children of all ages will identify them from the photo on the entry form and note down the corresponding letter. Entry forms have been distributed to local schools, clubs, cafes and shops. Individuals who manage to find all of the faces will be entered into a draw to win prizes donated by local businesses. The Face Finding Mission is intended to appeal to adults as well as children, so prizes include wine, a meal for two and a massage!
The activity was organised by Kat Lemon, Market Towns Development Support Officer for Winchester City Council, as part of her role to support local businesses in Alresford. The event is sponsored by local Fullers pub, The Horse and Groom, and over 20 local businesses.
This free family event has two clear objectives; to display the artwork of Year 7 pupils in the town centre for all to see and to encourage local residents and visitors to spend some time in Alresford Town Centre.
Cllr Rob Humby, Cabinet Member for Business Partnerships and Policy Coordination said,
“It is great to see such a diverse range of local businesses and local organisations working together for the benefit of the local community as well as the local economy. This creative and unconventional initiative is a great example of the Market Town Development Team supporting local businesses.”
In June, Year 7 students at Perins School were treated to a cultural arts day during which a professional visual artist demonstrated the art of mask-making with an Indian theme. All 200 Year 7 students were given just one hour to create their own masks using coloured card and collage materials. 25 of these masks have been selected to be on display in shop windows around the town centre.
The Face Finding Mission has been running for three years, with over 400 people of all different ages taking part in 2016. The youngest face finder was only 8 months old, although we suspect he had some help from mum and dad! Mum, George Cooper said:
“We've lived in the area for just over two years and haven't really spent a lot of time exploring Alresford. The Face Finding Mission encouraged us to get out and about and explore. It was lovely to see the shops take part and the community pull together. Looking forward to next year’s competition.”
Entry forms are available from all participating shops and the Alresford library. For more information on the Alresford Face Finding visit the Altogether Alresford Facebook page ( www.facebook.com/AllaboutAlresor/).