More than 100 children attended an autumn watch event at Skipton Children’s Centre.

As well as the usual arts, crafts, games and trails, youngsters got the chance to make bread, create bat boxes with the National Trust and meet the weird and wonderful animals brought in by Bramley Animal Rescue.

Centre manager Caroline Porter said: “The purpose of the event is to encourage children and their families to get involved with the outdoors and nature and to enjoy the natural world around them in a safe and low-cost way.

“Parents fed back how much they enjoyed having a free event that was interactive and family orientated. On a more serious note, North Yorkshire Police have since shared what a valuable opportunity it was to talk with parents about keeping children safe, particularly in relation to recent national media headlines.”

PC Liz Rutter said: “The main cause for concern from parents was child safety and we were able to discuss different ways parents can work with their children to help them keep safe.”

The watch – run by Skipton Children’s Centre, Brougham Street Nursery School and the Parish School – received financial support from SELFA (Skipton Extended Learning for All).