Residents will be waking up to the unusual sight of flamingos in their gardens next week.
Pupils will be waking up at the crack of dawn to put the plastic birds outside pre-chosen houses.
Dozens of pink plastic birds have been ordered by parents with kids at St Mary’s Church of England Primary School, Church Road, Yate.
For the price of £5, residents in the area will be able to send a flock of flamingos to a friend’s lawn - and it's for a good cause.
The vice-chairperson of the Friends of St Mary’s School committee Jenny Gay said: “We’re trying to pull away from events that take a lot of effort or are long-winded or a little bit stale.”
Ms Gay hopes ‘You’ve Been Flocked’ will act as a fun way to try to match the school’s fundraising efforts last year, which yielded £18,000.
If anyone wishes to have a chance of waking up during the half-term break in February to find 10 flamingos outside their house, they have to sign up through the Friends of St Mary’s website.
Teams of volunteers will wake up at the crack of dawn to position the models outside particular addresses, as instructed, with the birds then taken away at the end of the day.
However, if anyone wishes the flamingos to fly away sooner, they can pay a donation to move the flock elsewhere.
Local businesses have sponsored the activity at a cost of £50, which leads to each flock bearing advertising material.
There is still scope for around three more firms to join, according to Miss Gay, who said five have signed up so far.
Ms Gay, a mum of six, said she got the idea in October 2019 when she was scrolling through the website Pinterest.
After seeing pictures of the flamingo stunt being done in America, she thought it would translate well to these shores.
'Everyone wants to be flocked!'
Parents have reacted with tremendous enthusiasm, according to Ms Gay.
She said: “Everyone wants to be flocked! Even people outside Yate and Chipping Sodbury are saying, ‘Why can’t we have it?'”
The money raised could be used to fund a range of projects, said Ms Gay, including building repairs and school trips.
Asked how much she anticipates the scheme will bring in, she said: “It’s something we’ve never done before so whatever we make will just be a massive bonus - we don’t normally do anything in the February half term.”
‘You’ve Been Flocked’ will run between February 8-22, with a Valentine’s Day flocking costing £6 rather than the normal price. Residents in Yate and Chipping Sodbury qualify for deliveries.
