Giraffes and penguins set the tone for the most stylish Christmas Jumper Day yet with an extra-long turtle neck and p-p-p-personalised jumper for a new chick
Save the Children’s annual Christmas Jumper Day on Friday (December 14) is set to be the biggest yet with millions expected to take part across the UK. But it’s not just schools, homes and offices nationwide preparing for the festive fundraiser, as some of the tallest and smallest animals are also getting in on the act with bespoke festive knits.
At Chessington World of Adventures Resort a team of sewers has stitched a long-necked knitted wonder fit for a giraffe, while at SEA LIFE London the smallest of jumpers has been made to reveal the name of the newest arrival to its’ Gentoo penguin colony.
Creating a long necked, winter woolly for a giraffe is no mean feat, but Chessington has risen to the challenge, crafting a Christmas jumper for its Rothschild giraffes or Santa’s ‘not so little’ helpers! While the Surrey Resort’s giraffes won’t don the pullover itself, Georgia Chapelle, who led the team behind the design, wanted to produce a one-of-a-kind creation to mark Christmas Jumper Day.
Georgia said: “Everyone here at Chessington World of Adventures Resort gets involved with Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day every year. We wanted to extend that to our animals in our Zoo and whom better than our largest creature, our giraffes, who were certainly intrigued by our bespoke creation.”
With the recent arrival of a Gentoo penguin chick at SEA LIFE London, the aquarium has finally unveiled the chick’s name, Luna, on a diddy Christmas jumper to celebrate Christmas Jumper Day. While Gentoo penguins can be found closer to the South Pole than the North, the name reveal comes as part of a series of events at the London attraction to celebrate the penguin chick’s first Christmas, and follows a year of firsts after the chick recently enjoyed its inaugural swim, an important milestone in a Gentoo penguins’ life.
Graham McGrath, General Manager at SEA LIFE London, said: “Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day is one of our favourite events of the year and to celebrate Luna’s first Christmas we unveiled her name on an extra-special festive jumper. Our Gentoo penguins were fascinated by Luna’s jumper, and they’re in the mood for our Christmas celebrations now!”
Sarah Button-Stephens, Christmas Jumper Day Campaign Manager from Save the Children, said: “We know that millions of people up and down the country are currently preparing to wear their wackiest woolly on Friday, but I think this is the first time we’ve had penguins and giraffes taking part too! The money raised will make an enormous difference and bring essentials like healthcare, education, protection and food to children around the world who desperately need our support.”
Guests can see Chessington’s giraffes at the Resort’s Christmas event, Winter’s Tail, on selected dates until January 2, 2019, and the Penguin’s First Christmas show and activities will be taking place throughout the day at SEA LIFE London between December 17 to December 31, 2018.
People still have time to sign up to Christmas Jumper Day and donate money to help save lives in some of the toughest parts of the world and give children living in poverty here in the UK the chance to fulfil their potential. Whether that’s giving a child living in a refugee camp clothes to keep them warm through winter, helping to buy nutritious food for their entire family, or setting up a safe space to give them the chance to be children again. To sign up go to www.christmasjumperday.org