After cows and donkeys, charities turn to goats
PREVIOUSLY it has been cows and donkeys, next year fibreglass goats will be popping up around the island raising funds for charity.
Following the previous success of the donkey and cow parades, Autism Guernsey, in partnership with Guernsey Adult Literacy Project, is organising the Guernsey Goat Parade in 2020.
The charities are looking for artists, sponsors and carpenters to help them.
The life-size goats in honour of the rare breed Golden Guernsey are currently being made off-island in the Philippines and are due to arrive in Guernsey by March.
Autism Guernsey fundraising manager Mandy Morris said they wanted the fundraiser to be as successful as previous parades, such as the donkey one in 2011, which raised more than £58,000 for GALP.
‘We’ve ordered 50 goats with big plans for them,’ said Mrs Morris.
‘Once they arrive they’ll need to be painted and varnished before they go on parade around the island for 10 weeks.
‘Following this they will be auctioned.
‘It’d be great to raise as much money as possible, we want the funds to enable us to become more sustainable, so this will go a long way towards that.’
During the Second World War, when Guernsey was occupied, Miriam Milbourne helped save a small herd of Golden Guernsey goats.
‘The island has that connection to the goat,’ added Mrs Morris.
‘This project will be a great way to get the community involved, we’ve already got some companies helping out and 11 schools volunteering, together with Beavers and Scouts.
‘Now we want artists to paint them, carpenters to create the plinths for them to stand on adorned with the names of the artist and the sponsor, and also sponsors.’
All the painted goats will go on display on the arm of the Crown Pier at the arts Seafront Sunday on 7 June, with a raffle ticket sale for the public to try and win a painted goat.
Then from 8 June until the beginning of September, the goats will be on display around the island, concluding in an auction at St James on 20 September for the remaining 49.
. For more information, including the chance to paint or sponsor a goat or create a plinth for them contact Mandy Morris on 232879 or email office@autismguernsey.org.gg. It costs £600 to sponsor a goat.
