Denzel the Hedgehog returns as free Truro kids club comes back

There is a hedgehog hiding in a Truro shop window, and he has a letter attached to him. Find enough of his friends and the letters spell something out. That is one of the free things on offer in Truro this August, alongside circus skills, ventriloquism and a wildlife hunt through the city’s green spaces.

Our Great Little Kids Club returns to Truro this summer with a programme of activities organised by Truro City Council in partnership with Visit Truro, Cornwall Museum & Art Gallery and Swamp Circus.

What is on and when

The programme runs from Monday 3rd to Friday 28th August, with activities every weekday afternoon between 2pm and 3pm at the Bandstand in Victoria Gardens. The exception is Tuesday, when sessions move indoors to the Cornwall Museum & Art Gallery on River Street.

The weekly line-up is:

• Monday – Swamp Circus host interactive circus skills sessions featuring comedy acrobatics, plate spinning, diablo and more.
• Tuesday – Cornwall Museum & Art Gallery host themed sessions based on their Cornish Myths and Legends exhibition, in the Learning Room at the museum on River Street.
• Wednesday – Story time and crafts with Truro Community Library.
• Thursday – Jules The Ventriloquist brings her puppet friends for fun activities, interactive magic and new surprises.
• Friday – Truro’s Countryside Rangers help children discover the wildlife in Truro’s Wild Spaces.

Every session is free and designed for primary school aged children.

The Mayor of Truro, Councillor Chris Wells, said: “I am pleased that Truro City Council is supporting Our Great Little Kids Club again, providing good partnerships with key businesses in Truro, and a great opportunity for children of Truro to enjoy such a wide variety of activities.”

Circus skills come to the Bandstand

The new addition this year is Swamp Circus, bringing interactive circus activities including comedy acrobatics, plate spinning, diablo and juggling, along with stilts, trick bikes, skipping and human pyramids. The charity has 30 years of experience and has taught children around the world, and particularly in Cornwall.

A representative from Swamp Circus said: “Swamp Circus Trust is a charity dedicated to the health and wellbeing of children, using dance, circus, yoga and outdoor play to inspire confidence, fitness and teamwork. The new partnership with Truro City Council brings fitness, fun and friends together at Our Great Little Kids Club on Mondays. There will be lots of opportunities for children to develop their skills and link to other sessions in the programme.”

The Denzel the Hedgehog Trail

Free activity packs will be available featuring the Denzel the Hedgehog Trail, plus colouring activities, word searches and more.

Denzel is the well known hedgehog from Trafalgar Roundabout, and he has been hidden around the city in the displays of several city centre shops and at several of Truro’s attractions. The self-led free trail runs daily from Saturday 25th July until Monday 31st August.

Children search for the hedgehogs scattered around the city, each carrying a letter. Collect them all and the letters spell out a phrase. Completed trails can be returned to Truro Community Library or the Visitor Information Centre on Boscawen Street to enter a prize draw.

The trail has had a strong response from Truro’s business community this year, with returning favourites joined by a number of new businesses taking part for the first time.

Free stickers are available for children to collect after completing each activity throughout the programme, including the “I Love Denzel” sticker for finishing the trail.

Where to pick up an activity pack

Activity packs can be collected at Truro Community Library and Truro Visitor Information Centre. They also contain information about summer events at Cornwall Museum & Art Gallery, Truro Cathedral, Truro Community Library and other venues.

Sessions are outdoors for most of the week, so weather changes are possible. Updates will be posted on Truro City Council and Visit Truro’s Facebook page, @visittruro.

Truro City Council says the programme supports Objectives 1 (Our Communities) and 4 (Our Economy) in its 2026 to 2030 Strategy, bringing families together and encouraging more people to visit the city over the summer.

More details are on the Visit Truro website.