Picnic in the Park

Pack up your picnics, gather family and friends and check out Chorley's Astley Park for an afternoon of free fun, activities and entertainment at the town's annual Picnic in the Park event.

As part of Check Out Chorley week (Saturday 25 May to Sunday 2 June), Chorley Council is bringing lots of free fun to Astley Park, including activities for children like sports, games, arts and crafts, football challenges, a climbing wall, performances from the fantastic Louby Lou, Punch and Judy shows and more.

Plus, this year, Stick Man will be making personal appearances at intervals between 11am and 3pm and for a small charge, children can enjoy some small fairground rides and a bouncy castle. Also, don't miss out on the opportunity to explore Astley Hall and the exhibitions in Astley Coach House and Farmhouse.

If you would like to top up your picnic or fancy a sweet treat on the day, Café Ambio will be open and will also have their barbecue van there. Bees Country Kitchen will be bringing some of their delicious food from Chorley Markets and there will be candy floss, popcorn and ice cream vans, of course.

Anyone driving to Picnic in the Park is being encouraged to be considerate of the residents of Astley Village and park at one of the town centre car parks, which are free on Sundays or at Woodlands Conference Centre, off Southport Road. The Sat Nav postcode is PR7 1QR and the entrance to the park is few minutes' walk via Ackhurst Lodge or you can catch the park and ride bus, which will be running between Chorley town centre and Hallgate (at the back of Astley Hall) from 10.30am until 3.30pm.

Alternatively, the town centre car parks are only a short walk from the Park Road or Queens Road entrances to Astley Park. Hallgate car park will be open for blue badge holders only and there is strictly no parking in Astley Village.

Picnic in the Park is just one of the many events organised by Chorley Council to give local people and visitors a great day out in Chorley. For more inspiration and ideas for a great day out, check out Chorley's new online visitor information centre, http://checkoutchorley.com/