Whipsnade Zoo’s Big Help Out volunteers weed giant lion for Coronation

Image supply, Jon Ironmonger/BBC
A bunch of volunteers have been weeding the giant white lion on Dunstable Downs, close to Whipsnade Zoo
A bunch of volunteers have been weeding a landmark lion determine on a hillside as a part of the Coronation weekend’s The Big Help Out initiative.
The giant 147m-long (483ft) lion, close to Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, was created in 1933 and is the most important hill determine in England.
The zoo mentioned it was “not in a great state”, regardless of being restored in 2018.
It is hoped that Monday’s volunteer taster occasion will result in extra upkeep occasions sooner or later.
The giant lion has been in place, close to Whipsnade Zoo, since 1933
Restoration work on the well-known determine, which overlooks the Dunstable Downs, began in 2017 and was accomplished the next yr utilizing 800 tonnes of undesirable chalk from beneath a neighborhood resident’s home.
Volunteer supervisor Rhiannon Green mentioned it was “routinely maintained but it needs a lot of maintenance”.
“The Big Help Out is a chance for us to launch a new initiative for the community to take ownership – and if it goes well, we will do more regular events in the future,” she mentioned.
Image supply, Jon Ironmonger/BBC
The group needed to take away the weeds after which then scrape the chalk again over
About 20 folks undertook the primary session and had about an hour on every part of the determine.
“It is a chalk lion but weeds poke through, so they will be weeding and then scraping the chalk back over,” Ms Green mentioned earlier than the occasion.
“By doing this, the volunteers will actually have the ability to see a distinction, when it comes to readability of the form of the lion.
“We are eager to ensure it has common upkeep, so we are going to hopefully prolong the challenge.”
Image supply, Jon Ironmonger/BBC
Landscape gardener, Michael Card, mentioned he “thought it could make good use of his expertise”
One of the volunteers, Michael Card, a panorama gardener in Dunstable, mentioned: “We see the lion from in every single place we go… that is the image of Dunstable.
“[I thought it would] make good use of my skills to come here and clean it up.”
He added that the weeds had been “a challenge” however “we’re up for it”.
Image supply, Jon Ironmonger/BBC
About 20 volunteers spent an hour on the lion together with Liz Thomas, from Linslade, who mentioned “working outside is just what you want to do”
Liz Thomas, from Linslade, mentioned she used to drive previous the lion day-after-day and also you “notice how it’s getting more grey” so jumped on the probability to assist out.
She mentioned “working outside is just what you want to do, it’s really good and it’s such a beautiful area”.
Image supply, ZSL Whipsnade Zoo
Eight hundred tonnes of chalk had been used to resurface the lion in 2018
The Whipsnade White Lion
- Designed by RB Brook-Greaves
- Work started in November 1931 and it was completed in spring 1933
- By April 1932, a tough define was seen and Ivinghoe Beacon was used as a vantage level to test its accuracy
- Almost two acres (0.8 hectares) of land needed to be cleared to disclose the chalk
- During World War Two, the lion was coated to stop it from serving to German pilots navigate
- In May 1981, as a part of ZSL Whipsnade Zoo’s 50th anniversary celebrations, it was illuminated with 750 lightbulbs
The Big Help Out is organised by The Together Coalition to focus on the constructive impression volunteering has on communities throughout the nation.
Maintenance of the lion is one in every of a number of volunteer taster occasions on the zoo, which embody making silage and serving to with upkeep within the elephant enclosure.
Ms Green mentioned it presently had about 200 volunteers in a “whole host of roles” that supplied “fun, positive relationships and enjoyment”.
“Whipsnade is a wonderful place to work and volunteer, it’s very much like a family,” she mentioned.
Whipsnade Zoo mentioned it had a “whole host of roles” that supplied “fun, positive relationships and enjoyment”