Rochdale’s dinosaur creating an economic boom for the town

Dippy the Dinosaur has attracted over 105,000 visitors so far and created an economic boom for Rochdale town centre’s local businesses.

The Natural Museum’s famous dinosaur opened in Rochdale last month as part of a record-breaking tour. The Diplodocus has been travelling around the country since 2018, with Rochdale being the only North West stop.

Paul Ambrose, from the Rochdale Business Improvement District (BID), said: “Dippy’s interest has been phenomenal. A good percentage of families visiting Dippy have taken the opportunity to explore the town, with many businesses, especially in hospitality, reporting a 25% increase in business compared to the same period last year.

“To complement the arrival of Dippy, the BID has worked with local businesses to compile the DinoDale guide. The guide includes the engaging DinoDale Hunt competition which aims to take visitors around the town centre on hunt for hidden letters in dinosaur bones. The Hunt is proving to be really popular with visitors who enjoy our custom #Dinodale Instagram filter which allows users to take ‘roarsome’ selfies of our very own Tucker T-Rex.”

You can read more about DinoDale here:

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/128/advertorials/133104/dino-fever-hits-rochdale

Over 30,000 pupils, from schools as far as Derbyshire and St Helen’s have seen Dippy in Rochdale, with the dinosaur also attracting visitors from abroad.

Janet Emsley, Councillor and cabinet member for neighbourhoods, community and culture at Rochdale Borough Council said: “We’ve been truly blown away by the success of Dippy in the North West so far and couldn’t possibly have wished for better.

“We’ve welcomed so many different people, with some visiting from as far afield as South America, Finland and Hong Kong, and it’s incredibly exciting to see the look on their faces when they see Dippy for the first time.

“With Dippy in situ until 28 June and the fantastic Dippy exhibition at Touchstones running until 5 September, I’m looking forward to seeing many more people experience everything Dippy in Rochdale has to offer in the coming months.

“He really is a sight to behold.”

The 21m-long plaster-of-Paris cast of a Diplodocus skeleton was first displayed in the Natural History Museum in London in 1905.

Special checks are conducted every week to ensure that all Dippy’s pieces are in place, and they remain in optimum condition.

It is free to visit the Dippy exhibition, but booking is required for schools and groups of 10+ people.

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/events/53328/events-in-rochdale/dippy-on-tour-a-natural-history-adventure-in-rochdale-2020