Young carers visit the zoo

The special day out was part of The Mall Cares iniative, where The Mall gives back to different parts of the community to celebrate its 40th birthday.

Family Action in Luton helped organise the day for the 30 young carers of parents with a long term illness or disability, mental health issue, or drug and alcohol abuse.

Young carers support worker at Family Action Barbara Lawrence said: “We are very pleased that The Mall Luton arranged this wonderful day at the zoo for our young carers. It is so important for them to have the chance to enjoy activities with other children of similar backgrounds and experiences – they all thoroughly enjoyed themselves.”

The 7-11 year olds visited the lions of the Serengetti and the rhinos of Nepal, as well as the discovery centre which houses smaller exotic animals.

Mall marketing manager Julian Dow said: “At The Mall Luton, we understand that these young carers often have alot of responsibility at a very young age, that’s why we wanted to organise a fun day out for them, where they could enjoy the company of like-minded children and most importantly be care-free for the day. Whipsnade Zoo was the perfect venue and we are really pleased that they all had a good time.”