Reindeer Trail arrives ahead of its second year

November 13, 2019 | Scotland

A herd of colourful reindeer designed by schoolchildren have flown into Stirling for the city’s festive Reindeer Trail.

The collection of 20 life-size reindeer will feature in the windows of a range of Stirling businesses during the run-up to Christmas – thanks to the initiative launched by Go Forth Stirling.

The Trail creates a festive atmosphere and fun for families who are encouraged to pick up a map and track down all 20 reindeer hosted in shops, cafes and attractions around Stirling.

The move follows the success of last year’s inaugural Reindeer Trail and sees a range of traders from across Stirling’s Business Improvement District (BID) area taking part.

Go Forth Stirling Project Manager Mags Fenner said: ‘Once again the reindeer have arrived in Stirling to create a festive buzz around the city and inspire shoppers to visit a variety of different retailers.

‘We’ve expanded the Trail this year to take in the Forthside area and think families will enjoy exploring our city and its diverse range of shops to find all the reindeer created by talented school pupils.

‘The reindeer are all fantastic and we’re delighted with the way schools have once again embraced the idea and come up with some unique designs and decoration.’

Families are invited to pick up a map – complete with clues – and find all 20 reindeer hosted in businesses around Stirling noting down their location.

And they can take advantage of the Go Forth Stirling Landtrain to visit the various retailers with a reduced hop on/hop off daily price of just £2 during the festive season.

One of the businesses taking part in the 2019 Reindeer Trail is award-winning tourist attraction The Engine Shed run by Historic Environment Scotland and based at Forthside.

Lesley Cadger, programme manager at The Engine Shed said: ‘We’re delighted to be part of the 2019 Reindeer Trail – a great community initiative involving children, their families and schools.

‘We encourage everyone to get out and about and take part in the Trail and we look forward to welcoming ‘reindeer seekers’ to The Engine Shed. Good luck!’

The Reindeer Trail runs throughout the festive season, from Thursday November 14 until Friday January 3, 2020, with an iPad on offer for the winning entry.

Reindeer with Ashley Runciman (left) and Mags Fenner of Go Forth Stirling (Photo: Janie Meikle Bland)

Entrants are also asked to vote for the Best Reindeer Design and the winning school will receive £250 worth of art supplies as a prize.

The Go Forth reindeer were designed by schools from across the Stirling area who were invited to submit individual or group designs.

A total of 20 winners, including entries from Bannockburn Nursery, Cornton Primary, Cowie Primary and Stirling High, were chosen by a judging panel and provided with paints and a 1.7m high 3D reindeer to decorate.

The completed reindeer were then located to shops around the city from the Burghmuir Retail Park and Forthside to the Thistles and Stirling’s historic Old Town.

As well as tracking down all 20 reindeer, shoppers are encouraged to take selfies with them and post the photos on social media using the hashtag #StirlingReindeerSelfie.

Reindeer Trail Leaflets featuring a map and entry form can be picked up from various locations around the city and entries should be returned by post or via special Santa post boxes located in the Thistles and Stirling Arcade.

The closing date for entries is Thursday January 2 and the winner will be the first entry selected from all the correctly completed forms.

The Reindeer Trail is organised by Go Forth Stirling BID in a bid to increase footfall around the city centre.

The business-led organisation represents close to 400 local traders and is run by Ms Fenner and her team with a key objective of delivering projects and services which improve Stirling’s retail environment for businesses, shoppers and visitors.

For more information visit www.goforthstirling.co.uk