Posted October 26, 2022 in General
In a world where you can be anything, be kind
At the end of 2021, we shared a lovely fundraising story from a then 5-year-old named TJ, who set up a mini zoo outside his house to collect donations for Colchester Zoo and ran a marathon dressed as a lion, raising over £12,000 for us in just 4 months!
TJ is now 7 years old and we recently found out that following his fundraising success, TJ’s school nominated him for the ‘Be Kind Awards’ and was also announced runner up for the John Caudwell Community Hero Award. A huge congratulations to TJ from all of us here at Colchester Zoo!
TJ’s mum, Kirsty said, ‘These awards look for the kindest children in both primary and secondary schools across the UK, so we were very proud of TJ! It was a great honour for TJ to receive the award after so many people did so many kind things, especially during lockdown. I don’t know what we would do without the zoo, it is TJ’s safe haven – thank goodness for Colchester Zoo Gold Passes!’
TJ was excited to have been presented with his award by John Caudwell himself. Kirsty informed us that TJ continues to love the zoo and his favourite animal is Bailey the African lion, but he adores all the animals and is now on a conservation quest with many ideas of how to stop poaching in the wild.
We are so pleased that TJ’s efforts have been recognised by others. Children of today play an important role in shaping the future and so, a visit to the zoo is so much more than just seeing the animals and having a lovely day out. The education and inspiration for them to learn what actions we can take to help animals in the wild, is part of our mission, and we are so pleased that Colchester Zoo has given TJ inspiration to become a conservation warrior!
A huge thank you to everyone who has donated and continues to fundraise for Colchester Zoo and our charity, Action for the Wild.
To find out more about supporting Colchester Zoo please click here.
