Squirrels star in Glengormley woman’s mental health charity calendar

Marion Murphy has created a fundraising calendar for the charity with the help of a scurry of squirrels.

Commenting on the effort, Marion said: “I’ve had grey squirrels in my garden for a few years and I’d often leave nuts out for them.

“In March I spent time in hospital with pneumonia just as the pandemic kicked off.

“While I was recovering at home and shielding, I posted photos of the squirrels on Facebook. My cousin sent me a picture of a little picnic bench and said I should get one for them. They were quite expensive, so I found a novelty condiment set for barbecues and used that.

“This was the start of the adventures of the Glengormley squirrels. I started to look out bits and pieces at home to create new feeding experiences and ended up getting the scissors and glue out to make more props.”

She added: “The squirrels became very popular with my family and friends on Facebook and many started sharing photos with their friends too. I’ve ended up with hundreds of photos from more than 30 scenarios.

“As quite a few of the scenes were seasonal, I had the idea of creating a calendar and selling copies for charity. I decided on a mental health charity as I believe that no matter what illness anyone has, it can have an adverse impact on the mental health of not only them, but also their families. I’ve chosen Action Mental Health NI as they do a lot of good work.”

Copies of the calendar, priced at £7.99 (including postage), can be ordered by emailing Marion at [email protected]

Payment can be made via PayPal or bank transfer. All profits will go to the charity.

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