Almost 10,000 Nonsuch dog bags were handed out to dogwalkers who use the area’s favourite park to exercise their pooches at the first ever Nonsuch Park awareness day on Sunday.

All the bags, to be used to remove unsavoury offerings from four legged Nonsuch visitors, had been printed with a dog owners’ code of conduct.

The awareness day was held to give regular park users a chance to tell others about their hobbies and interests.

The day co-incided with heritage weekend with Nonsuch Mansion opening its doors to the public and attracting 1,200 visitors.

In the park itself there was a wide variety of attractions including penny farthing rides, Tai Chi demonstrations and much more.

A dog zone was set up with vets checking dogs, microchipping some of them and giving out around 100 dog goody bags. A dog trainer was on hand to give help and advice.

Organised by Epsom and Ewell Borough Council in partnership with the London Borough of Sutton, the Awareness Day aimed to promote a positive and better understanding of all the activities the park plays host to throughout the year.

Councillor David Wood, chairman of the Nonsuch joint management committee said: “The day was a great success and we were extremely pleased to see so many people come along and take part in the various activities.”

The cycling zone was popular providing cyclists with bike maintenance help and advice. Members of the cycling community promoted safe and courteous cycling tips and training and offered brave visitors the chance to ride a penny farthing.

Surrey Police and the Met Police were a hit with children especially who had the opportunity to climb inside the patrol car, try out the sirens and play policemen for the day.

Tai Chi experts demonstrated their skills alongside beekeepers, running clubs, leisure centres, ramblers and orienteering groups. Informative guided walks offered visitors the chance to learn about the Park’s nature and history. Visitors flocked to see the newly refurbished Nonsuch Mansion and were welcomed by the new caterers Bovingdons.

Andrew Gray, managing director at Bovingdons, said “Nonsuch Park Awareness Day was the perfect way to publically launch a new chapter in the mansion’s history.”