CHILDREN from a nursery have dressed up as their favourite animals and taken part in a variety of animal-themed activities to raise £850 for Chester Zoo.

The children at Kids Planet, Great Sankey, embraced their animal-friendly side to raise much needed funds for their beloved Chester Zoo.

The children took part in a variety of animal-themed activities including sensory and exploratory play, arts and crafts and a sponsored wild animal stampede around the garden.

To really get into the mood, staff and children dressed up as their favourite zoo animals, played with animal-related resources and enjoyed animal stories together.

Kids Planet, which now includes Kids Allowed, has launched a timely summer fundraising campaign to help support the UK’s number one family attraction, due to its significant losses since Covid-19 and its drastic restrictions on visitors for the foreseeable future.

The childcare company is hoping to raise more than £20,000 to adopt as many animals as they can.

Nursery manager at Kids Planet Great Sankey, Jennifer Gordon, said: “Chester Zoo is adored by our children, families and staff and we would all be devastated if it was forced to close.

"We have been overwhelmed by the support from our families and the total raised so far has blown us away. Donations are continuing to come through the crowdfunding page, in addition to the sponsorship we have already received.

"We are proud to support Chester Zoo and hope that our efforts can help them through these difficult times and look forward to continuing our relationship with them through our animal sponsorship programme.”