The Dolphin Centre describes this unique donation area:
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'Wooden Animals Give Comic Relief On Their Return
Poole’s famous wooden animals will once again make a welcome return to the Dolphin Shopping Centre on Friday 13 March, with Whale making his first visit to the Centre in well over a decade while Turtle ambles back from a Christmas break. Arriving just in time for Comic Relief, Whale and Turtle will once again stand pride of place in The Plaza while sporting red noses and offering the chance for shoppers to donate to the Comic Relief cause.
The wooden animals were brought out of retirement and back to the Dolphin Shopping Centre for the community’s enjoyment and to form a rather special charity donation point in May 2008. Turtle and Whale were created over 40 years ago by Peter Hand, at his workshop in Winton, ready for the Arndale Centre’s opening in 1969. Lovingly restored by the Dolphin Shopping Centre, a new home was created and built to house the wooden animals by Dorset wood carver Nick Meech last year, complete with a new dolphin tail coin chute and charity donation feature.
Last year, the return of Hippo and Turtle motivated local people to donate their spare change and over £1,100 was raised for Julia’s House as a result, helping the hospice to care for more life-threatened children in Dorset.
This year, the Dolphin Shopping Centre will be asking the local community for their help in choosing the dedicated local charity that will benefit from the wooden animals collections throughout 2009. Details of the nominated charities and how to vote will be released next month.
In the meantime, while the dedicated 2009 charity is being decided, Comic Relief will receive all monies generously donated by the people of Poole. Stephanie Connelly, Dolphin Shopping Centre Manager, commented: “We are delighted to welcome back Whale and Turtle to the Centre. The wooden animals have brought a lot of joy to several generations of local people for many years, so it seemed appropriate to bring back the wooden animals in time for Comic Relief. We hope that the sight of Whale and Turtle sporting red noses brings a smile to many faces, young and old, and that we can raise some money for a worthy cause in the process.”
Since 1985, Comic Relief has inspired the nation to have a laugh while raising cash to help change lives. The charity’s vision is a just world, free from poverty. The money raised for Comic Relief helps vulnerable and disadvantaged people turn their lives around across Africa, throughout the world's poorest countries, and here in the UK.'
The wooden animals are at the bottom of the escalators in a specially made area.