Photographer joins hundreds in charity flashmob

A STAMFORD Hill photographer joined hundreds of other people to become flesh-eating corpses for the day.

Part flashmob, part horror film convention, part-pub crawl and part street theatre, World Zombie Day (London Outbreak), on Saturday (October 9) was one event in a loose collective of global zombie takeovers.

Photographer Javi Chicobilly, 25, a first-time zombie from The Avenue, Stamford Hill, joined more than 500 people who transformed themselves into the mythical monsters.

He said: “It was very funny, I enjoyed it so much. People didn’t expect to suddenly see hundreds of people dressed as zombies lurching up to them, you could see in their faces they were thinking ‘what the…

“I like everything about zombies, I’m a horror lover. There were all different kinds of people there but we all had the same taste, it was amazing to be in the middle of hundreds of people you didn’t know, all doing the same crazy thing.”

The zombies met at Marble Arch, groaned at the tourists and stumbled down Oxford Street and Regent Street. In common with the zombies of horror classic Dawn of the Dead, they went shopping - in toy store Hamleys.

Like those in comedy zombie film, Shaun of the Dead, they were drawn to public houses and finished their march at metal pub, The Intrepid Fox.

But there was a serious message behind the carnage – not content with raising from the dead, the zombies raise money for charities which help fight world hunger.

This year the British undead fundraised for Wells for India which provides wells in parched regions.

Co-organiser, Dave Beveridge, 32, who travelled from Leeds for the event, took over zombie herding duties from Jo Finley who organised it in 2009 and 2010.

“I did it last year and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. You just let go of your inhibitions, there’s something about being a clumsy braindead corpse that’s really fun,” he said.

Mr Beveridge, a university e-learning co-ordinator, added: “We don’t terrify the public and chase them and actually we had a few parents bringing their children to us. One man waits for us en route with his toddler every year.

“It’s a space for the freaks to come together. Lots of new friendships have formed as a result.”

Support the zombies’ fundraising efforts by donating at www.justgiving.com/Zombie-4-You.