I have a confession to make. I have been gripped by penguin fever 🐧🐧
Having never been on my radar at all, I have now become obsessed with penguins. To me, they are irresistibly adorable with their chubby bodies, tuxedo-like feathers, and waddling gait that seems almost too perfect to be real.
Their playful antics, like sliding on their bellies across the ice and huddling together for warmth, just make them even cuter to me. They have bright, curious eyes and the way they care for their young with such tenderness makes them even more endearing. Whether they’re clumsily hopping around or gracefully swimming through the water, penguins exude a cuteness that is impossible to resist.
For the last few years where I live in Worcester in the summer there has been an animal trail to raise funds for local charity St Richard’s Hospice. The trails so far include “Worcester Stands Tall”, which took place in 2018, and featured giraffe sculptures displayed throughout the city and “Worcester’s Big Parade” in 2021, a trail that showcased elephant sculptures, continuing the success of the previous event by attracting visitors and raising awareness and again raising vital funds for St. Richard’s Hospice.
This year another trail was launched called “The Great Waddle of Worcester.”
What is “The Great Waddle of Worcester”?
The “Great Waddle of Worcester” is a waddle of wonderfully designed penguins which came into Worcester on 22 July 2024 to form the city’s third “Wild in Art” sculpture trail, while also raising funds for St Richard’s Hospice.
Forty big penguin sculptures are currently lining the streets and open spaces for eight weeks until 15 September, each sponsored by local businesses and brought to life with designs by artists from Worcestershire and beyond. Another 40 penguin chick sculptures are also on the trail, designed and created by students and community groups.
There is also the chance to say a final ‘goodbye’ at two farewell events, before each large penguin and one special chick is auctioned to raise funds for St Richard’s Hospice and the chicks head to their forever homes with the schools and groups who made them.
From Icebergs to Instagram: How Worcester’s Penguins Became Local Celebrities
As soon as the penguins went on display on 22 July, my home city of Worcester has been gripped by penguin fever. Every time I went into town, I was greeted by hordes of people running round trying to find the penguin sculptures and log them in the official “Great Waddle of Worcester” app or mark them as “found” in the official penguin passport and sticker book.
My close friend Wendy and I decided to try and see as many of the penguins as we could, and we’ve had such fun seeking out the colourful and vibrant penguins and chicks in the city centre. We haven’t seen all the penguins yet, but we’ve seen most of them and plan to do a riverside walk to see the remaining ones we have yet to encounter. There is even a pop-up shop in the Crowngate in Worcester where you can buy all manner of penguin related merchandise, with all proceeds again going to St Richard’s Hospice. I also enjoyed taking selfies with all the penguins I’ve seen so far:
Over the course of two weekends my friend Wendy and I have clocked up thousands of steps as we attempted to see as many of the penguins and chicks as possible, and it warmed my heart to see so many people engaged with the penguins and ticking them off on the “Waddle of Worcester” app or their penguin passports and sticker books. The penguins and chicks have really put Worcester on the map.
One of my favourite photos that I took was from the bottom of Sidbury in Worcester where I managed to capture the “Hairy Monster” penguin who was all the way up at Fort Royal Park. The zoom on my Samsung Galaxy S24 is incredible:
Sadly, last week there was a very unwelcome turn of events.
When Waddling Turns to Woe: Penguin Sculptures Damaged by Vandals
After some of the penguins were vandalised and damaged not long after the trail first opened, 3 of them were broken and vandalised again on Bromwich Parade which is the path that goes into town along the River Severn. Not only were the penguins vandalised, but they were also callously dumped in the river and had to be rescued by Hereford and Worcester Fire Service.
I was so shocked when I heard the news of this and was disgusted that some thought it would be “fun” to vandalise the penguins and dump them in the river in such a horrible way. St Richard’s Hospice is a much-needed local charity, and the penguins have brought so much joy into the lives of many, myself included, so it was very hard for me to comprehend the mentality of those who would do such a cruel and nasty thing.
However, fear not. While the penguins are now having their “tweetment” according to the “Waddle of Worcester” Facebook page, the Worcestershire Ambassadors, a local networking and community group, has launched a fundraising appeal for the repair of the penguins, with any surplus going to St Richard’s Hospice, and I’m proud to say that I’ve donated towards the repairs. I hope they are back soon so that my friend Wendy and I can complete our quest to see them all when we do our river walk.
West Mercia Police has released CCTV footage of the perpetrators, and I hope it helps to get them caught so they can pay for damaging Worcester’s beautiful penguins. So much hard work has gone into them by local painters and artists, and it is devastating that some have been vandalised by these mindless thugs. I don’t understand their mentality or why they did it.
Waddle We Do Without You? A Bittersweet Farewell to Our Feathered Friends
As with all things in life, all good things must come to an end, and on 15 September the penguins will be taken from their locations in the city centre and there will be a final chance to say goodbye to them when they are altogether in one place at the Worcestershire County Cricket Ground on Friday 4 – Sunday 6 October 2024 and Friday 11 – Sunday 13 October 2024. There are one-hour slots available to see all the penguins together from 10am-6pm daily.
After that, on Thursday 24 October, the huddle of penguins will take centre stage at an auction to raise money for St Richard’s Hospice. The event will be hosted by Rich ‘Hursty’ Hurst and featuring Antiques Road Trip and Bargain Hunt Auctioneer Philip Serrell. All 40 big penguins and one penguin chick will go under the hammer, whilst the remaining chicks will return to the schools and community groups who decorated them, as a lasting legacy to the great Waddle of Worcester.
Final thoughts
It has been wonderful to see all the penguins and chicks, and to see just how much Worcester has been gripped by “penguin fever”. I’ve even entered this photo I took of “Elgar’s Enigma” in a photography competition that is being held at Qualitest where I work for “World Photography Day”:
The winners will be announced on 30 August but I won’t be back at work till 2 September, so I’ll have to check my emails and see if “Elgar’s Enigma” has won a prize, well you have to be in it to win it!
I know how much work and effort it takes to get an art trail like this off the ground, so it just remains for me to send my heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in “The Great Waddle of Worcester 2024” for all you have done to brighten up the city this summer and for making me and my friend Wendy smile and happy over the last few weeks. I will be very sad when the penguins have gone to their forever homes, as they have brought me and many others in the city of Worcester a huge amount of joy.
You can view a Flickr photo album of all the pictures I took of the penguins – including selfies – here.
Resources
The Great Waddle of Worcester – Official Website
Flickr Photo Album of all the Photos I Took Of The Penguins – Including Selfies!
Charity Penguin Sculpture Rescued from River Severn
Waddle of Worcester Penguin Statue Vandalism Fundraiser Underway
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