Four Dagenham gymnasts posed with Maurice the Mozzy as part of a national campaign warning travellers about the dangers of malaria.
Beth Johnson, Maddie Streeter and Amy Dalton, all 12, and Kira Taiwo, 13, from Catleaps Gymnastic School dressed in red to represent the four main types of malaria.
The image will appear in national newspapers and magazines as part of a national GlaxoSmithKline campaign urging people to be aware of the disease when travelling overseas.
Beth’s mum Penny Deane, who volunteers at Catleaps, said the girls “absolutely loved” the photo shoot. “They thought it was hilarious,” she said. “And they’re very excited about seeing themselves in the newspapers.”
Gymnasts from Catleaps, which runs classes at Jo Richardson and Robert Clack schools, picked up a host of medals at the British School Gymnastic Championships on May 12.
Last year, 1,677 British travellers returned to the UK with malaria despite it being a preventable disease. See www.malariahotspots.co.uk
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