Back by popular demand, Slimbridge Wetland Centre has created a new LEGO brick animal trail with all the old favourites and a couple of exciting new additions.

Through this trail, WWT is using the world’s most popular toy to encourage kids (and big kids) to build a better future for nature.

Visitors can enjoy the 11 individually-designed LEGO brick characters revealed for seven weeks over the autumn from 17 September - 6 November. The trail has been on tour around the rest of WWT’s nine UK wetland centres and the team at Slimbridge eagerly await its arrival

The giant animals, some up to twelve times life size, include Flavia the Andean flamingo, a riot of pink bricks; Emily the Emperor dragonfly, resplendently perched on a LEGO brick reed, and Benedict the Bewick’s swan, magnificently stretching his brick wings. Another model, Lottie the otter, was named through a social media competition, to celebrate the birth of Princess Charlotte.

Two of the animals, the crane and flamingo, were built by LEGO brick ‘birdman’ Tom Poulsom. The team at Bright Bricks, the UK’s only certified LEGO professionals, created the remaining nine. In total, 91,700 LEGO bricks were used over 955 hours to make all 10 characters. Lottie the otter and Bruce the Red Breasted goose took the longest time to make at 120 hours each.

Gary Haseley-Nejrup, Slimbridge’s General Manager said:“We’re thrilled to welcome back our Giant Lego friends, scheduled to land at WWT Slimbridge on 17th September. We know our visitors old and new are going to absolutely love the new trail. They’re a really fun way to highlight some of the animals WWT helps to protect, such as the iconic Bewick’s swan and our six species of flamingo.

Here at Slimbridge, our founder Sir Peter Scott, discovered that each individual Bewick’s swan could be identified by its bill pattern. This led to one of the world’s longest running projects to protect this species.Today, we are using LEGO bricks to inspire the next generation to continue Sir Peter’s work of saving threatened wildlife.”

As well as the trail, budding sculptors will be able to build to their hearts content with interactive LEGO brick workshops, with mini figures to build and take home. Workshops start on Saturday 17th September running every weekend and daily during October half-term until 6th November.

To find out more about the Giant LEGO brick animals here