Puffins proud to be on parade

Over the years we’ve now gone through puffins, goats, cows and donkeys, all raising valuable money and awareness for good causes such as the Guernsey Adult Literacy Project, Autism Guernsey and the GSPCA.

The campaigns have been cleverly crafted and well executed. They last long enough to retain interest but not too long as to lose it, they brighten up the summer, and the animal statues are simultaneously hard to miss, and yet not intrusive.

Jersey is currently running a tortoise parade and previously went wild with gorillas – but have the benefit of the island’s zoo to broaden their choice of animal.

So the question which must be testing the local organisers is, what next? We know that next year they are scaling back and intending to do a cuddly teddy bear version, rather than painted fibreglass. That will have some appeal but won’t be intended to have anywhere near the fundraising potential, and indeed attraction, of the big parades.

Maybe this concept has now reached a natural end, but if that is so, those involved should take pride in a job well done, in putting smiles on faces and raising thousands for very worthy causes.