Nancy, 9, wins competition to name company's alpaca mascot in memory of her much missed dad
“It will mean the world to Nancy to know the alpaca mascot is going to be named after her dad and will help to keep Chris’s memory alive”
A little girl has said she will always miss her dad after seeing a Sunderland business name their mascot alpaca in his memory and honour.
St Mary’s Catholic Primary school pupil, Nancy Johnson, 9, won a competition to name Sunderland based recruitment company StaffPower Recruitment’s new alpaca mascot, after calling it Chris in memory of her dad who sadly lost his battle with cancer in February (2026) at the age of 46.
Before passing away, Nancy’s dad would often say he would like to come back as an alpaca as they “always have hair and a smile on their face”.
Yesterday (July 15) the company’s CEO Anth Hudson was joined by operations director Michelle Lightfoot in visiting the school to inform Nancy she had won the naming competition and to present the brave little girl with a certificate, cuddly alpaca mascot, as well as other prizes and sweets to share amongst Nancy’s class.
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After being presented with the prizes, Nancy said: “I wanted to call the alpaca Chris, after my dad who died. Alpacas and llamas were his favourite animals and he would always say when he died that he was going to come back as one.
“It feels nice to win the competition. I love animals, and alpacas.”
Also at the presentation was Nancy’s mam and Chris’s wife, Lucy Johnson.
Lucy said: “When Chris was terminally ill, people used to ask him if he was afraid of dying and he would say he wasn’t, as he was going to come back as an alpaca or llama as they are always smiling and have hair.
“It will mean the world to Nancy to know the alpaca mascot is going to be named after her dad and will help to keep Chris’s memory alive - it’s massive for her.”
The school became aware of the competition through StaffPower’s operations director Michelle Lightfoot, whose own child also attends the school.
Children were asked to submit their name suggestions along with their reasons. The company’s owner, Anth Hudson, also owns a farm which has six alpacas and he recently brough the animals along to the school’s summer fair.
Anth said: “I was really moved after reading the entry from Nancy. What began as a simple mascot naming competition became a powerful reminder of how a small act can carry such personal meaning.
“We lost a member of our staff to cancer last year (2025) and so it’s important to get involved in something like this where you can give something back to the community. There are a lot of people out there fighting their own battles, including with cancer.”
The alpaca mascot, which is used on the company’s branding and website, has also now been given the surname ‘Teddy’, which was agreed upon by the whole of Nancy’s class.
Anth added: “It has been wonderful to see the creativity, imagination, and enthusiasm that went into bringing our alpaca mascot to life. At StaffPower we are proud to be part of the Sunderland community and we hope this award recognises the fantastic effort of everyone involved and creates a lasting memory for the children.”
Despite facing his own battle, Chris raised thousands of pounds for cancer charities.
St Mary’s Catholic Primary School headteacher Martin Clephame said: “Sometimes it’s hard to make sense of the things that happen in life, but the way Chris conducted himself throughout his battle with cancer was truly inspirational.”