My Little Pony: Hundreds visit annual convention

News imageBBC UK PonyConBBC
This is the 16th UK PonyCon and it's the third time it has been held in Nottingham

Fans of My Little Pony have been gathering in Nottingham for an annual convention.

UK PonyCon is taking place at Nottingham Trent University's campus this weekend and organisers are expecting about 950 people to attend.

News imageBBC Rob Faulkner, 44, from Windsor (left) and Alex Tomlin, 29, from BristolBBC
Rob Faulkner, 44, from Windsor (left) and Alex Tomlin, 29, from Bristol
News imageBBC UK PonyConBBC
News imageBBC Jaroslav HakenBBC
Jaroslav Haken travelled from Prague to the convention

Jaroslav Haken, 37, who travelled from Prague, said: "My friends at first were like: 'Are you serious? It's a show for little girls'. Many people have trouble trying to understand because it's something so unimaginable for them.

"It [the convention] is a unique opportunity to share something with others with the same interest. Outside, in the real world when you go to work every day and the world is kind of grey, there is not much space for sharing nice things.

"When you go to these conventions we all change our world for a few days and it's something really refreshing."

News imageBBC UK PonyCon 2019BBC
News imageBBC Dee Whitehouse, 42, and her five year old daughter Ara-Lena WhitehouseBBC
Dee Whitehouse, 42, and her five-year-old daughter Ara-Lena Whitehouse travelled from Buckinghamshire for the event
News imageBBC UK PonyCon 2019BBC

Sam Haines, chair of UK PonyCon 2019, said: "It's crazy in some ways that My Little Pony is so popular compared to other shows. Over time the types of attendees have changed, so more recently we've got more Bronies come along.

"It's important that niche communities have the opportunity to meet up."

News imageBBC Michelle Channon, 39, from Dartford (left) and Helena Mandell, 36, from HertfordshireBBC
Michelle Channon, 39, from Dartford (left) and Helena Mandell, 36, from Hertfordshire
News imageBBC UK PonyCon 2019BBC
News imageBBC Stall holder Jennifer GreeningBBC
Stall holder Jennifer Greening
News imageBBC Presentational grey line

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