Meet Gary & Gertrude, Our Giant Gonks!

It's officially that time of year again.

Despite the glorious summer sunshine outside, we're already hard at work making Christmas.

This year's festive residents are Gary and Gertrude, two giant Gonks who are currently taking over the studio. We created Gary last year, and this year he has a friend <3

Like all of our sculptures, they start life right here in our Midlands workshop. Every mould, every casting and every finishing touch is completed by our team before they're ready to head off on their Christmas adventure.

At the moment, production is in full swing. Rows of giant Gonks are gradually filling the workshop as each one moves through the different stages of making.

While everyone else is reaching for sun cream and ice creams, we're building an army of festive folk!

The recent heatwave has made things a little more exciting than usual in the workshop. Fibreglass cures much more quickly in warm temperatures, so there's less time to work before it starts to harden. Jason has been tweaking the catalyst mix to slow things down, but on the hottest days it's still a bit of a race! Gary and Gertrude, meanwhile, seem completely unbothered, happily soaking up the sunshine before they spend the winter standing proudly through wind, rain, frost and whatever else the British weather decides to throw at them.

Gary and Gertrude are heading to a National Trust property later this year, decorated in unique folk art inspired designs to form a magical Christmas trail for visitors to discover.

We'll be sharing plenty more behind the scenes glimpses as production continues, but for now it's back to the workshop. There are still plenty more Gonks waiting for their turn.

Christmas might feel a long way off, but here at Making Trails, it's already well underway.