On Thursday 14th July Bristol Blue Glass celebrated the official unveiling of their Two sponsored gorillas at Arnos Vale Cemetery.

Arnos Vale cemetery is one of the lifesize gorilla venues blazing the trail across the city, along with the mini-gorilla at St Philips Marsh Nursery school, also sponsored by Bristol Blue Glass.

See the picture below for the cutest picture of a Bristol Pirate trying to open the painted treasure chest on the Gorilla... picture taken by Jane Veveris Callan!

On Thursday the 14th July, the two gorillas came face-to-face at Arnos Vale Cemetery in a special launch celebration with children from St Philips Marsh nursery school, representatives from Bristol Blue Glass and gorilla artist, Jane Veveris Callan.

James Adlington, owner of Bristol Blue Glass, said: "We at Bristol Blue Glass are happy to sponsor the St Philips Marsh Nursery and Arnos Vale gorillas. Being a Bristol company, a number of employees including myself, have family and friends at rest in the cemetery and we donated some glass to the campaign to save the cemetery. Its great to see what Arnos Vale has achieved in the past few years and it has a special place in my heart".

Juliette Randall, Chief Executive of Arnos Vale Cemetery, said: "Getting a gorilla is great news for Arnos Vale. Being visited by a second one is fantastic! We are really excited about being part of the Wow! Trail and welcoming so many new visitors to Arnos Vale, Bristol’s best kept secret".

Simon Holmes, Headteacher at St Philips Marsh Nursery school, said: "Every child in the school has helped design and decorate our gorilla. He has become a popular member of the school, living in our reception area. Every day the children talk to him, feed him and stroke his back.This will be his first outing to meet a big gorilla. All the children staff and parents love our gorilla. This has been a fantastic project for the whole school community".

Jane Veveris Callan, who designed the Arnos Vale gorilla, said: "I think the Wow! Gorilla trail is absolutely brilliant – that’s why I keep being involved in these projects. They’re so fantastic for families and it’s great to see visitors coming on the trail and ticking places off their list. Arnos Vale is a really interesting place to put a public sculpture."

The life-size artworked gorilla sculpture will stay at Arnos Vale Cemetery throughout the summer, greeting visitors to the cemetery’s exhibitions, cafe and a programme of wildlife-themed family events.  To find out more visit our What's On! section - we'd love to see you here!