White Rose brightens Blue Monday with flippered friends

White Rose Shopping Centre is bringing smiles to visitors’ faces this ‘Blue Monday’ (15 January 2018), hosting a visit from a group of penguins and their handlers, who will be sharing fun and educational information about the flippered creatures.

Humboldt Penguins at Chester Zoo. Photo: Jeremy Morton

Blue Monday falls on the third Monday of January and takes into account the wintery weather, time since the Christmas and New Year festivities, and return with a bump to normality to culminate in what is said to be the most depressing day of the year.

White Rose will become the temporary home to the group of aquatic birds and visitors will be offered the unusual opportunity to view them up close outside the centre this coming Monday. The creatures aren’t just guaranteed to encourage good cheer: their handlers will be giving educational talks about the life of the penguin, as scientific studies show that learning new information can slow brain sluggishness and aging, a key factor in overall happiness.

Steven Foster, General Manager of White Rose Shopping Centre, said:

“We go above and beyond to ensure our visitors are happy at White Rose, so we wanted to do a little something extra for Blue Monday – that’s why we’ve secured a visit from our flightless and flippered friends and their handlers for an entertaining and educational session.

“Making our visitors smile is something that’s important to us year-round at White Rose: from free parking and new, later opening hours to more than 120 shops and restaurants, we hope there’s something to cheer everyone at White Rose.”

The penguins will be outside in The Village at White Rose from 12pm – 4pm on Monday 15 January. The animals’ handlers will be giving educational talks throughout the day.