The bear necessities for Gulliver's World (From Warrington Guardian)

The bear necessities for Gulliver's World

GROWLING like a bear won people top jobs after Gulliver's World opened its door to new talent.

The theme park runs puppet and character shows - where people dress up but do not speak - and needed people with versatile voices to dramatise the scripts.

Although it opened in Warrington 17-years ago, Gulliver's has until now always used in-house voices.

Julie Dalton, a director of the family-run theme park said: "The in-house voices were fine but we wanted to improve the quality and have people with different dialects."

Everyone chosen is an amateur because, Julie said: "Professionals might be recognised from a double-glazing voiceover and you never know where the talent will come from."

The fees are still to be agreed.

Mum-of-four and business researcher Maria Hardy, aged 37, of Hadleigh Close, Great Sankey, said: "I really enjoyed the challenge of trying to be an owl, bear or skunk.

"The auditions had a real X-factor feeling. The anticipation and everyone practicing their little squeaky voices and deep voices made it a lovely atmosphere."