A village menagerie sprung up over the weekend as scores of families joined in with Bishop’s Waltham Zoo, a wild fundraiser dreamt up by an animal-loving family of four hoping to help Marwell Zoo while it remains closed.
Paper birds, a stuffed crocodile and a cardboard rhino were among the creations visitors could spot on their travels, including descriptive signs giving facts about each family’s animal of choice.
Teacher Sarah Munday, who runs Roynon Performing Arts, came up with the idea with her husband Gary to keep four-year-old Poppy, and Rex, who is nearly two, busy in lockdown - and it spread like wildfire, raising more than £1,400 for the wildlife park.
The family, who have annual passes to the zoo, are missing trips to visit Marwell and wanted to help in some way.
Music teacher Gary said: ‘It came about from the business of giving the kids something to do and bringing the community together as well as the fundraising on top.
‘There was a phenomenal amount of interest, way bigger than expected. The community is quite tight in Bishop’s Waltham - it was fabulous.
‘It just got received so well so people joined in and it just snowballed. We never saw the amount coming.’
The interest was so great that the event took place over two days, rather than just Saturday, which was the original intention, and Marwell Zoo issued a thank you to the community for its support.
James Cretney, chief executive of Marwell Zoo, said: ‘From one zoo to another, we are so grateful to Bishop’s Waltham Zoo for all their efforts in helping us through what is a really difficult time for us.
‘We’ve been delighted by the great creativity that’s gone into this community event and the vital funds raised for us. We really do appreciate it. We simply couldn’t continue to do what we do without the support of our local community.’
To see more of the creative exhibits which were on display, search for Bishops Waltham Zoo on Facebook, or visit justgiving.com/fundraising/BishopsWalthamZoo to donate.
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Welcome to a selection of images from Bishops Waltham Zoo Photo: Bishops Waltham Zoo
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Sarah and Gary Munday, who organised Bishops Waltham Zoo Photo: Bishops Waltham Zoo
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A huge spider, which villagers will be pleased to hear didn't escape Photo: Bishops Waltham Zoo
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This giant snake was made out of old tyres Photo: Bishops Waltham Zoo