This Yorkshire woman is dressing a giraffe sculpture with a different theme everyday to cheer up her village

A woman in the Yorkshire Dales has been cheering up residents in her village with a rather tall gesture.

Jill Murray has been dressing up a giraffe sculpture, affectionately named Gloria, each day throughout the lockdown with a different theme to raise a smile among villagers in Lothersdale, near Skipton.

So impressed are local residents, that some have even taken to changing their daily exercise routines to walk past Gloria and marvel in her outfit of the day.

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Characters Gloria has so far been dressed as include Little Bo Peep, a lumberjack, a Roman centurion and even an attendee at a Venetian masked ball.

Jill Murray with Gloria the giraffe, which she is dressing up every day during the lockdown to raise a smile among villagers in Lothersdale, North Yorkshire.Jill Murray with Gloria the giraffe, which she is dressing up every day during the lockdown to raise a smile among villagers in Lothersdale, North Yorkshire.
Jill Murray with Gloria the giraffe, which she is dressing up every day during the lockdown to raise a smile among villagers in Lothersdale, North Yorkshire.

She has also been dressed as key workers such as a nurse and a postal worker to pay tribute to their efforts, while Tuesday this week saw the papier mache statue transformed into Her Majesty complete with a knitted corgi as a nod to the Queen's 94th birthday.

Mrs Murray, 57, gets a lot of help from her husband, Nic, who has been making props such Little Bo Peep's walking stick, many of which are then re-purposed into various other items to accompany the scenes.

"It is forcing me to be creative," she said.

"I can't go out to buy the things we need to dress her so I am having to think of ways we make the costumes and props from things we have lying around the house.

Jill Murray's sculpture Gloria the giraffe, which she is dressing up every day during the lockdown to raise a smile among villagers in Lothersdale, North Yorkshire.Jill Murray's sculpture Gloria the giraffe, which she is dressing up every day during the lockdown to raise a smile among villagers in Lothersdale, North Yorkshire.
Jill Murray's sculpture Gloria the giraffe, which she is dressing up every day during the lockdown to raise a smile among villagers in Lothersdale, North Yorkshire.
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"The NHS nurse's outfit was borrowed from my friend who is a nurse at Leeds General Infirmary, and I am spending my evenings making all the bits and pieces to decorate her.

"The crown I made for her outfit as the Queen took me two hours alone."

But Mrs Murray's efforts appear to be paying off as Gloria the giraffe has been the talk of the village.

"The number of people who have said she makes them smile is brilliant," she added.

Gloria has also been dressed as a lumberjack, complete with mounties in the background.Gloria has also been dressed as a lumberjack, complete with mounties in the background.
Gloria has also been dressed as a lumberjack, complete with mounties in the background.
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"If she is late to be put out one day, I get people wondering where she is. People in the village have been deviating their daily walks to come and see her, especially the children.

"She is very popular on social media as well."

An Instagram account showing Gloria's different set ups has been made, which can be followed here.

Mrs Murray, who works for a housing association in Bradford, said: "Gloria was a present from my husband. I have sometimes dressed her up before but this is the first time I have put so much care and thought into her outfits.

Gloria dressed as a nurse in a tribute to the NHS.Gloria dressed as a nurse in a tribute to the NHS.
Gloria dressed as a nurse in a tribute to the NHS.

"When I saw on the news about a village in Cornwall where people were putting their bins out in their ballgowns throughout the lockdown, I thought it was such a wonderful gesture and I decided I could do something even better with Gloria.

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"I have a granddaughter who I usually enjoy doing crafts with. I obviously cannot see her at the moment, so this has helped me to channel that into something positive."

Despite Gloria's popularity, Mrs Murray has urged people not to make unessential trips to see her, and instead follow her different outfits on Instagram.

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