A COMMUNITY yarn bombing group is bringing the world of Pokémon to Northwich with a unique adventure hunt for people of all ages to get involved in.
Toppers of Northwich have been yarn bombing the town for several years and now the group is gearing up for its next project - The Great Northwich Pokémon Hunt, starting on March 31 and running for six weeks.
The aim of the hunt is simple; find all the Pokémon characters hidden around the town and in surrounding villages to be in with the chance of winning a prize.
The characters – which have been lovingly crocheted by Toppers members, can be found in all sorts of places, including postboxes, shops and even tourist attractions.
Katie Naylor Brown came up with the idea with help from her sons who knew about Pokémon Go – a game you can play on your phone which combines Pokémon with the real world so you can ‘catch’ and train Pokémon characters in locations around you.
Instead of playing virtually, residents and visitors to the town can now play in ‘real life’.
Katie said: “We wanted it to be something that everybody could do – not just kids, but families and individuals too.
“You’ve got six weeks to do it, so you’ve got plenty of time to run around and find the characters.
“It spans the generations because you’ve got the children who like Pokémon and those who now play Pokémon Go.
“We started a Facebook group (The Great Northwich Pokémon Hunt), and if people chose to, they can share hints and tips on there.
“Gaming cafés in Northwich are also helping – if you pop into Board Beans, Goblin Gaming and Geek Retreat they can offer some help.”
As well as the large hunt, there will be a mini hunt within just Northwich town centre, perfect for younger children or those who can’t travel to surrounding villages.
To 'catch' a Pokémon, people need to take a selfie with each character.
The first person to do this and complete the hunt will win a prize, but there are a further three prizes available – and it doesn’t matter how long it takes you.
Katie added: “Anybody who completes the hunt within the six weeks will be put into a hat and the next three places will be drawn out.”
She went on to say: “We’re hoping it will get people into the town, and some of the Pokémon are in independent shops so we are hoping this will spread awareness and make people notice what we have in Northwich.
“It will also help children be active and bring people together.”
To find out more information about how to get involved, visit The Great Northwich Pokémon Hunt on Facebook.
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