CHIPPING Sodbury’s summer search for 25 missing sheep has been hailed a huge success after ewe-niting the town’s shopkeepers.

A total of 1,162 people completed the Sodbury Sheep Search to seek out all of the cuddly lost lambs hidden in various shops through the High Street.

The popularity of the trail came as a shear surprise to Sodbury Chamber of Commerce which ran the event throughout the school summer holidays.

Chamber member Alice Crowley, who runs Swagger gift shop and came up with the idea for the trail, said: “We all had a guess on how many entries we would receive at the start with most of us saying around 500. We were all shocked by how successful it was and to get 1,162 entries was fantastic.

“There was a steady flow of people taking part throughout the summer holidays with people doing the trail come rain or shine.

“It definitely created a positive vibe between all the retailers.”

She said the initiative, aimed at promoting Chipping Sodbury and providing a free, fun activity for families, had been a team effort and had been very popular on Facebook and Twitter.

Sodbury mayor Cllr Wendy Whittle handed over all the sheep to their 25 new owners, whose names were selected at random from the entrants to the search, during a celebration at the Tourist Information Centre on Saturday (September 6).

The chamber has confirmed a similar project will be held next year.

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