Families make most of a winter wonderland as snow hits Swindon (From Swindon Advertiser)

Families make most of a winter wonderland as snow hits Swindon

12:20pm Monday 21st January 2013 in News

Buy this photo » Families make most of a winter wonderland as snow hits Swindon

IT WAS not all woe in the snow this weekend as families dashed out to the town’s parks to make the most of the white stuff.

Queens Park, Lawn Woods, Lydiard Park and almost any other open space was dotted with youngsters throwing snowballs, riding newly-bought sledges and rolling around in the snow.

And the Adver was inundated with photos from readers who had been making snowmen, snow dolphins and even a snow unicorn.

Katy Brand took her two-year-old nephew Charlie to Lawn woods to test out his new sledge.

The 28-year-old said: “It was packed with loads of people all out to go sledging. You could get up some good speed on the hill and Charlie loved it - it was the first time he could really enjoy the snow properly.

“It was freezing though and I lost feeling in my toes by the end.”

John Richards, 25, was also out with his girlfriend in Lawn.

He said: “There’s nothing else to do when it snows but get the sledge out and go down to the park. It was absolutely packed, there were hundreds of people there, mainly with kids.

“It was hard to try and avoid them as you flew down the hill but no-one got hurt and it was all good-natured fun.”

Even Swindon North MP Justin Tomlinson enjoyed larking about in the sub-zero temperatures – he tweeted: ”Sledging with the best of them in Redhouse.”

Staff at Drove Veterinary Hospital got creative and made a snow vet and a snow dog to guard the small animal entrance at their Croft Road, while Caroline Blake managed a dapper looking snowman, complete with trilby.

The 39-year-old said: “He was quite an effort to build but definitely worth it – it's the first one I've made for a few years.”

Gemma Adams tweeted the Adver with a picture of a snow Statue of Liberty, which did not survive Friday night, but she made up for it by managing to sculpt some leaping dolphins and a warren of rabbits out of the snow in her front garden.