Why a giraffe?

We know it isn’t every day you see a giraffe on the streets of Cambridge, but there are a lot of reasons we thought they would be the perfect animal to represent the work we do here at Break.

They have really big hearts. Not all that surprising – there could be up to 5.5m between a giraffe’s hooves and the ossicones on the top of its head. To achieve this feat, a giraffe's heart is two feet long, 11kg in weight, and is strong enough to give giraffes the highest blood pressure of any mammal. They’re all unique. A giraffe's spots are like a fingerprint, meaning that much like the young people that this trail will support, every individual is unique.

They like roaming around in groups called towers. If we are to stand tall in Spring 2024, we’ll do that much better in a group, and giraffes agree. They usually live in herds of 15 and support one another on the African plains, just as we work together with our young people to make sure they never feel alone.

They are the tallest land mammals. We’re expecting Cambridge Standing Tall to make a big impression, and what better to use than a sculpture of this majestic giant. The Tall Gs will be 2.5m in stature and the Mini Gs will measure up at 1.5m but their real-life compatriots can tower over 5m in height! With our life-long offer to all the young people we support, we stand tall with our young people so they know that nothing is out of their reach.