T.rex gets Christmas jumper at Natural History Museum in London

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T-Rex jumper
Image caption,

The T.rex has had a festive but fearsome makeover

A giant Christmas jumper has been created for a Tyrannosaurus Rex at London's Natural History Museum.

The animatronic T.rex is sporting the festive knit, which has been made by a family-run firm in Leicester.

British Christmas Jumpers has previously produced sweaters for Ed Sheeran and the Houses of Parliament.

Director Snahal Patel said the latest design was the company's biggest job yet and took staff 100 hours to complete.

"We've never done anything like this. My dad's never done anything like this and he's been in this business for 35 to 40 years," Mr Patel said.

"It's probably the biggest thing we've made and going forward into the future there are other big projects planned."

Image caption,

The Leicester firm has been making Christmas jumpers since the 1980s

The jumper is 12 times heavier than a regular jumper and human-sized versions are also available to buy from the museum shop to help fund the venue's work.

Carla Treasure, from the attraction, said they wanted to do something fun to encourage people back after a tough year.

"I think he looks absolutely fabulous," she said.

"It's been a really, really challenging year for heritage and visitor attractions and we really wanted to do something which would generate interest.

"All the proceeds from the sale of these jumpers goes back to supporting the museum, not only for its pioneering research but also caring for its 80m specimens."

She said they chose the Leicester firm because the jumpers were made in the UK and manufactured using recycled yarn and plastic bottles.

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