Last chance to enjoy Christmas magic at Paignton Zoo

Paignton Zoo staff and students from South Devon College have teamed up to provide some much-needed Christmas cheer.

Children can book a visit to Santa's Grotto, where they will receive a special gift from Father Christmas. Each child's ticket includes zoo entry at a reduced price for the day of their visit. Mrs Claus will be sharing heart-warming tales, adding to the festive atmosphere. There is also live music on selected dates, as well as family craft activities.

And in a partnership between the zoo and college a festive, fund-raising song has been added to the festivities.

A zoo spokesperson said: "We are thrilled to bring the magic of Christmas to our visitors. We have a fantastic line-up of events that will create unforgettable memories for families. Additionally, a charity single by Graham Card, "Christ'a'mas Day," has already raised £30 for the zoo on Just Giving and garnered 1,146 views on YouTube. The single features Paignton Zoo staff singing along to spread holiday cheer and raise funds for the zoo.

Graham and his  band mates Lee Shetliffe and Ryan Fincham recently performed a 45-minute Michael Bublé set at the zoo restaurant, culminating in a live performance of "Christ'a'mas Day" with Lee and Ryan. 

Above: Zoo band - Graham Card with band mates Lee Shetliffe and Ryan Fincham

Santa and Mrs Claus joined the fun, dancing and singing with Graham. The event was live-streamed on Facebook, adding to the holiday excitement. The zoo encourages everyone to watch the video on YouTube and share it to support their mission to halt species decline.

Brenna Cliff, the zoo's digital content coordinator contacted the college to see if they could help with the song and video.

She says: "I contacted the college to see if they could help us with filming on the day. I was pointed in the direction of the Digital Media course, and Graham Card and I went to the college to see if they had any capacity to help us with the project. "

The past few months have not been easy for the zoo. There were some redundancies due to financial pressures.

Brenna said: "I wanted the song to have as big an impact as it could, to raise money for the Trust, but also raise morale amongst the staff. I felt that by recruiting some students to help me film, we could produce a better video than perhaps I would have achieved on my own. We also wanted to open up communication and collaboration with the college, and we are now going to be looking at working on some bigger projects with them in the future."

The tutors appointed Lee Burrington as their director, Brenna took the role of producer, and the other students were cameramen and lighting. Their tutor was their chaperone for the day and floated around helping direct, choosing the right angles, and generally organising the students. 

To book tickets for Christmas at the Zoo, or watch and donate towards the charity single, please visit: https://www.paigntonzoo.org.uk/events/christmas-at-the-zoo/

To watch the video and her the song go to Christ'a'mas Day - Paignton Zoo Staff Christmas Single | Wild Planet Trust