Ilford's Mammoth Mascot is officially named 'Marley'

The woolly mascot representing Ilford’s prehistoric heritage now has a name – Marley.

Following a popular naming competition held over the summer, promoted by Time FM, the winning name was selected by the Leader of the Council, Cllr Kam Rai, after reviewing dozens of creative entries.

A huge congratulations go to Thomas Thorn from Ilford, whose entry was chosen as the winner. As a prize, Thomas will receive a £50 gift card to spend at Mercato Metropolitano in Ilford.

The mammoth has been adopted as Ilford’s mascot to celebrate Ilford’s unique history – a steppe mammoth inhabited our town over 200,000 years ago and was found to be one of the best-preserved mammoth skulls when it was discovered in 1864 near Ilford Lane.

Indeed, the original skull can be seen today in the Natural History Museum. Luckily this mammoth still has links closer to home as a replica can be found in the Redbridge Museum, located on the second floor of the Redbridge Central Library where you can also learn more about Ice Age Ilford. Look out for the full telling of this mammoth’s history on screens and banners around the town centre.

Cllr Vanisha Solanki, Deputy Leader of Redbridge Council, said: "I’m so proud that we’ve adopted this mammoth mascot to honour the borough’s rich history and it’s been wonderful to see the whole community getting involved with the mammoth naming competition. The community's response to the competition was remarkable, with 60 entries.  We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to Time FM for their invaluable support with our naming competition. Their contribution was instrumental in making this a success."