Beastly business down the boozer

IT may be cold outside but the atmosphere was baa-my inside a Worksop pub for a special animal-themed Christmas party to raise money for charity.

The Animal Fleece group held a get-together at The Liquorice Gardens in aid of Clic Sargent and to cheer up fellow member Claire Walker who is recovering from a serious operation.

Around 40 group members dressed up in winter warmer fleeces sporting sheep, wolves, horses, dogs and cats to mark the festive occasion.

Claire Smith, who organised the event, said it was a light-hearted way to support their friend after a tough year and raise money for an important cause.

“It was all a bit of fun really and it was great to see so many people having a laugh,” she said.

“We raised over £275 on the evening so thanks to everyone who came along to support us.”

Claire Walker said she was touched by how the group had rallied around to support her after her operation ordeal this year.

“We’re all very close - it was great to see all my family and friends around me at the party and gave me something to look forward to,” she said.

“We’re proud to have raised money for Clic Sargent to help children and young people with cancer.”

The Animal Fleece group was set up around two years ago and takes a tongue-in-cheek look at people who wear coats and jumpers sporting different animals.

Claire Smith said : “We just started it for a bit of a laugh really but it has grown over the past few years and we now have 190 members on our Facebook site,”

“We have people from all over the country, including Scotland and Ireland. There are lots of people in Worksop who wear the fleeces so we’re never short of spotting anyone.”

To find out more about the group, search The Animal Fleece on Facebook.