Acres of Fun at Teddy Bear's Picnic in aid of Barnardos Sunday 19th June, Fota House 2pm – 5pm

09 June 2011

After the huge success from last year, Select Hotels will make this year's Teddy Bears Picnic at Fota House on Sunday 19th June even bigger and better, with all proceeds once again going to children’s charity, Barnardos.

Over 3,000 mums, dads and kids are expected to descend on Cork to enjoy this really special family day out, with something for everyone – Entertainment, Races, Kiddies Disco, Bouncy Castles, Face Painting and an appearance from a very special guest– all for just €15 per family.

Speaking about the upcoming Teddy Bears Picnic, Una Young, GM of Select Hotels of Ireland stated "Last year was amazing and we expect that we'll make this year an even bigger success. Many of our 25 hotels around the country support the event by helping out in Fota or by organising their own Teddy Bear’s Picnic event at their own hotel, so throughout the country families will gather to fundraise for this very worthy cause as well as enjoying some really great family time together that memories are made of."

No Teddy Bear's Picnic would be complete without the bear himself coming out of hiding from the woods to mark the occasion!!  He will be bringing along lots of his very own Barnardos teddy bears to enjoy the picnic with and kids will have the opportunity to 'adopt' one of these bears and give them a loving home!  Each child will also receive an adoption form and every bear adopted on the day will contribute €10 to Barnardos.

Stephanie Whyte, Barnardos Assistant Director said "We're really looking forward to the Teddy Bear’s Picnic at Fota, it’s a fantastic way for families to enjoy a fun day together and at the same time, help other families around Ireland. We would like to thank Select Hotels for all the hard work and the support they have shown to Barnardos over the years."

Taking place from 2pm to 5pm in the idyllic surroundings of Cork’s renowned arboretum and magnificent gardens of Fota House in Cobh, the event promises to be a wonderful day of fun and entertainment where families are free to explore the gardens and enjoy a mix of activities including: Kids Carousel, Let’s Go Camp’s Bouncy Castles, Kiddies Disco, balloon animals and Gymboree will be there with their Play & Music development programs.

There will be lots of old fashioned family fun too with egg & spoon races, sack races, and a special Father & Son/Daughter race, especially for Father’s Day!  For all the little princesses out there, there will be nail and face painting and cute princess hair styles too.Mums and Dads can join in the fun too with their very own BBQ and music with DJ RC. As a Father’s Day treat, Dads will also get to enjoy their very own ‘Dad’s Corner’.

Towards the end of the event a mega raffle will take place with some fantastic prizes including a Family pass to the 2011 Irish Open compliments of Killarney Golf & Fishing Club, plus two four ball vouchers, along with a weekend break from each of select’s Cork and Kerry members who are organising the event; The Celtic Ross Hotel, The Montenotte Hotel, The Trident Hotel, Actons Hotel, Midleton Park Hotel, Kenmare Bay Hotel & Resort and The Killarney Riverside Hotel. Family Tickets are available on the day and every child will receive a free goodie bag, contributed to by SuperValu Musgrave.

For further details on any of Select’s 25 Hotels, visit www.selecthotels.ie