DINOSAUR day has been branded a huge success by business leaders after the town saw a huge increase in footfall.

The event, hosted by Barrow Business Improvement District (BID) and sponsored by Ørsted and Cumbria County Council, brought thousands of people to the town centre on Saturday.

Colin Garnett, manager of Barrow BID, said extra consultation is in place but initial feedback is very good on the event.

He said: “The initial feedback from businesses has been extremely positive. Market traders have told us that the market was busy, one high street trader informed us that they took triple their usual Saturday and The Entertainer told us they had to restock their Dinosaur shelves.

“We even heard that a leading national takeaway had to close their doors at one point during the day as they were too busy.”

Mr Garnett explained that although he had wanted to make every event free, he had to put a £2 charge on indoor activities due to limited venue space.

In total, 600 people attended the four sold-out shows.

And he wants to keep the momentum going.

He said: “We aim to bring more events to Barrow town centre in the future but we also need help from local people.

“Please, please, please support businesses in the town centre whenever possible to ensure that Barrow’s town centre can get through this economic hard time and provide a range of shops and businesses for local people and visitors to enjoy.

“It is more important than ever that we support national chain shops in Portland Walk, independent stores, market traders and hospitality businesses. Only together can we transform Barrow town centre and create a town for future generations.”

There are two more events to look forward to in Barrow town centre in the coming months with the Queen’s Jubilee celebration on Saturday, June 4 and the Festival of Transport on Saturday, July 16. Keep an eye on the Barrow BID or Visit Barrow Facebook pages to find out more about these events.

“Barrow BID would like to thank Bigfoot Events for bringing the dinosaurs to Barrow," said Mr Garnett.

"Their whole team were very professional and went the extra mile to ensure the day was a huge success, as well as the volunteers who helped us on the day.”