A MAGICAL evening of animal fun was enjoyed by all as disabled youngsters and their families became VIP guests for a special night at South Lakes Safari Zoo.
The annual Dreamnight At The Zoo, which gives chronically ill and disabled children the chance to get up close and personal with animals such as penguins, lemurs and all manner of creatures, returned for its 12th year at the popular attraction yesterday evening.
Five-year-old Nuala-Rose, from Walney, who has autism, came to the event with her family, including her two sisters Niamh and Oonagh.
Her mother Gemma said: "When it is busy and crowded, other children can stick their elbows out and it can be quite overwhelming for Nuala-Rose, but this gives her the chance to fully appreciate the zoo because everybody here is aware of the difficulties that the children have."
Tyler Lawrence, four, came all the way from Middlesbrough to take in the wonders of the zoo with his family.
He suffers from a digestive problem and rarely gets the opportunity to leave hospital so, for his mother Connie, this was a perfect chance to get the whole family together.
She said: "It has been brilliant; the kids are absolutely loving it. Tyler spends so much time in hospital so it's nice to see him enjoying himself and spending some proper quality time with his brothers.
"It's nice to get away from it all, even it is just for an evening."
Owner of the zoo David Gill, who has recently come under criticism for his management of the attraction, turned up to the event on a horse from his ranch in the USA and gave a rousing speech to kick-off the event.
He said: "You can't put a value on a child's happiness. All these people here tonight deserve to have a great time and have a smile on their faces.
"We are doing something quite off-the-wall and that is what the public love. Disabilities make family life very difficult so having this really helps to bring everybody together."
READ MORE: Dalton zoo to host annual Dreamnight for disabled kids and young carers
Deserving families enjoy Dreamnight adventure at South Lakes Safari Zoo
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