The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Mini penguins invading Dundee’s libraries
Maggie’s Penguin Trail has grown its waddle with 97 half-sized ‘babies’
Met all 80 waddling wanderers on the Maggie’s Penguin Trail?
Well, there are another 97 “baby” penguins waiting to be discovered.
These smaller, flippered friends are half the size of the original sculptures and have been lovingly designed and decorated by pupils from every school in Dundee, youth groups, community groups, residential units, plus a number of schools in Angus.
The man behind the initiative is Maggie’s Penguin Parade’s education co-ordinator, Neil Cooney.
He was project manager of the 2016 Oor Wullie Bucket Trail, with funds raised for the Archie Foundation, and had overseen a plan to bring 14 mini sculptures of the cheeky red-haired lad into primary schools.
“The baby penguins complement and add value to the main trail, by showcasing the creativity of Dundee’s youngest citizens,” he said.
“They were funded by, created by and are hosted by all of the communities within Dundee and we think they’re every bit as good as their taller chums.”
Each baby penguin was accompanied by an education pack meaning that each child involved had the opportunity to learn while working on the project.
They were taught about everything from penguins and Antarctica to the more serious topics of cancer and what the team at Maggie’s do.
Maureen Hood, information services section leader for Leisure and Culture Dundee, said the invasion of the baby penguins had seen the number of visitors to the city’s libraries skyrocket, with an increase of almost 3,000 visitors on the same period last year.
“More families are visiting libraries to hunt for baby penguins and discovering the range of library services along the way,” she said.
Once the penguins have said their final goodbyes at the farewell parade at Slessor Gardens next month, the babies will return to the schools and groups that created them. Visit maggiespenguinparade.com gritchie@thecourier.co.uk