A children's festival in Winchester took place recently with free activities and experiences in different venues across the city centre.

At the newly opened Arc, the Mimosa Montessori cardboard sculpture workshop inspired by artist Eric Ravilious drew in many children.

There were also kids' relaxation sessions on offer, alongside "storytime" with the Arc librarians, and an ongoing free exhibition by local textile artist Deirdre Wood.

Several local retailers also ran in-store activities and competitions as part of COWfest this year.

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The Lark kids 'Design a Boot' competition was judged by Zig and Star children's shoe company. The lucky winner was James aged 11, whose "Save the Rhinos" boot was considered to have a "great message" and "eye catching colour and embellishment".

Zig and Star thought it would look fantastic in plant leather. Elin's "Lark boot" with its "lovely use of colour" picked up second place, while Emily's "practical and fun" rainbow boot with its fluffy lining secured her the third prize.

Lark kids also got lucky, benefitting from a beautiful gallery of designs, which will be on display in their store on St Thomas Street for the next two weeks.

Ballet Pointe celebrated its recent move to larger premises inside the Brooks Shopping Centre with a search for dance-inspired poems and pictures. This also attracted a fantastic response from local youngsters, with prizes awarded to two entries in each category.

Other stores participating in COWfest 2022 included Waterstones at the Brooks, Bellacrafts, P&G Wells, Three Joes and Frieda's Tearoom, while Treasure Gymnastics and Move Momentum dance ran free taster sessions, and several of the city's museums offered free entry and activities for families.

Emma Back, chief executive of the Winchester Sport, Art and Leisure Trust, which co-ordinates the festival, said: "It was fantastic to see so many young people enjoying COWfest in this new format, despite the wet and windy weather! Our thanks go to all the local businesses and activity providers who took part, the children and young people who attended and entered the competitions, and Winchester BID for their very welcome sponsorship of the event."

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