This Yorkshire woman is dressing a giraffe sculpture with a different theme everyday to cheer up her village
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.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdCharacters 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.
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.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"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.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"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.
"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.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"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.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.