Five-year-old raises thousands for Zoo by building LEGO DUPLO version

A five-year-old builder has raised more than £4,500 for Colchester Zoo by making a LEGO DUPLO zoo in his front garden.

ITV Anglia first reported that Thomas Rose from Essex was fundraising for the zoo, and so far has managed to raise over £4,500. Colchester Zoo has closed in the second UK lockdown, and apparently costs over £500,000 a day to run.

Thomas has been visiting the zoo since he was a baby and felt the need to support the zoo at a difficult time. When he first started fundraising, he aimed to raise £50 to feed a rhino for one day. However, a wave of support has come his way and the current goal is set to £10,000.

“He’d seen that the zoo was on telly and that they were appealing and first lockdown he said he wanted to help, so I said, ‘well you need to come up with an idea’,” Kirsty, Thomas’ mum told ITV Anglia. “When we went into second lockdown he said, ‘I’m going to do it, I’m going to build a zoo’.”

Thomas aims to be a zookeeper when he grows up, and this heart-warming fundraiser is a big step towards that dream. Thomas’ zoo includes DUPLO habitats for animals and a train running through it.

If you want to help support Thomas in his fundraiser, head over to his GoFundMe page to donate.

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