Chester set for a herd of Rhinos

Natives of Manchester may have fond memories of the Cow Parade that adorned the city's streets in the summer of 2004. Well, the historic city of Chester is set to have its own four legged invasion - with as many as 70 fibreglass rhinos set to be installed in a line from the city out to Chester Zoo next summer, from early July to mid September. Each beast will be approximately 6ft long, 5ft high and 2ft wide. They'll weigh around 60kg or 132lbs!

Cheshire artists will have the opportunity to create a design for the skin of one of the fibreglass animals. The event called Rhino Mania is designed to raise funds for the Black Rhino Field Conservation Trust and swell the coffers of businesses in the city.

Rita Waters, the Chief Executive of Chester Renaissance, one of the Quangos charged with promoting the city, believes that the trail will attract 400,000 visitors to the city.

Mrs Waters was quoted by Chester First as saying that the project was "also about raising awareness of the endangered Rhinos and it’s about bringing key groups within the city together to achieve this successfully."

Chester has a long association with bears. The cruel practice of bear baiting was once practiced at the Cross in the city centre. Visitors to the city can hear more about its rich history with a Chester Revealed audio guide, which listeners can download to their cell phone, iPhone, MP3 player or iPod. To hear an audio sample from the tour please click here.

The baiting of bears, bulls and other animals was outlawed in 1762. Nevertheless, bull baiting continued outside Chester’s walls for over forty years. One of the city's most famous watering holes is the Bear and Billet (pictured above). John Lennon's maternal grandmother, Anne Jane Millward, was born in the Bear and Billet in 1873.

Buy any Walk Talk Tour and get a second one free by entering the following promotional code in the shopping basket page: BI123.

Visitors without the means of downloading the tour, can hire it from the Tourist Information Centre for £6 per MP3 player (plus a £10 deposit per device which will be refunded on the return of each device). A set of neck-phones and a copy of the tour plan are included in the price.

For more information about Rhino Mania take a look at the official website.