There’s lots of summertime fun to be had in Parkway Newbury this July!

Saturday 4 July: Parkway Summer Street Party

Parkway is THE place to be on Saturday 4 July. This is the day Parkway hosts its fabulous and popular Summer Street Party, just one event in the Parkway Summer Series.

This is a party for everyone so bring the family and enjoy the fun! Back by popular demand are the Covent Garden Entertainers, thrilling the crowds with their circus skills. There will be face painting for the children – so look out for painted tigers, lions and pandas prowling around Parkway, and maybe some pretty butterflies too.

You can also make huge savings at Parkway on the day by downloading a Street Party Pass. Everyone loves a bargain, so print out or reserve your FREE Street Party Pass at http://goo.gl/ZwdhwG to receive an incredible 20% discount at lots of Parkway stores and cafés, including Jack Wills, Animal, H&M, Ecco, Jones the Bootmaker, Café Rouge … and many more. This is a special one-day-only offer so make the most of your 20%!

Remember there is plenty of parking at Parkway and it costs just £1 for the first hour.

Look out for two other fantastic events at Parkway on Saturday 11 and Saturday 18 July.

Visit www.shopatparkway.com for further details.

Biddy on the Newbury Giant Easter Egg Hunt

A fine Bank Holiday Easter Monday … and I lured the husband into Newbury with the promise of breakfast before we hit the Giant Easter Egg Hunt trail.

Breakfast sitting outside in early April in England? Yes indeed – and at the Teashop by the Canal there are few finer spots. Fuelled by a full English with a side order of black pudding (for him) and a bacon and egg sarnie (for me), accompanied by tea in a proper teapot (leaf tea at that) and a good Americano we were fired up and ready to hit the town.

We collected our form from the special Easter Zone in Parkway (you can also get them from the Visitor Information Centre in the Market Place), where lots of children were enjoying activities and having their faces painted. Then off we went on the hunt for those Giant Easter Eggs. 

I must say it was good fun deciphering each of the 15 clever cryptic clues (most of which were not too difficult, thankfully) to find the eggs and, very importantly, the special letter displayed alongside each one. 

Without wanting to give too much away, the trail takes you all around the town centre, and follows a logical route so you don’t need to backtrack on yourself. 

The clues aside, the giant Easter eggs themselves are works of art and include a fabulous golden one, a stylish black and white one, a pretty rainbow one, even one that looks like a circus Big Top. However, there were a couple that I liked best of all. One was in … oooh I can’t tell you but it is big and yellow and covered in smaller eggs, cut out and coloured in by children, with my particular favourite being a drawing of an Easter bunny. The other was very cleverly and beautifully decorated in a découpage style, all pink and blue and pretty … the only clue I’m going to give you is: it’s on the bridge.

So … give me a C – C!  Give me a G – G! And that really is all the help you’re getting … if you want to find out what the other letters are that will help you crack the code you’ll have to go and hunt for them. There’s still plenty of time as the competition runs until Saturday 18 April, all through the school holidays, and is a great way to while away a morning or afternoon.

And as you could be in with a chance of winning a fabulous prize – a £250 John Lewis at Home voucher, a Hotel Chocolat hamper or a giftcard from The Entertainer toyshop – it’s a bit of fun that’s too good to miss.

Happy hunting!

Biddy x