A TRIO of penguins have been perfectly named by children at Southampton Children's Hospital.

Pickle, Poppy and Peanut are the new names of Paultons Park’s Humboldt penguin chick trio – thanks to a shortlist of names chosen by children under the care of the city hospital.

The winning names were voted for on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram in one of Paultons Park’s most popular social competitions ever, drawing thousands of entries.

Cassidy and Jack, who have both recently been discharged from hospital, suggested the winning names of Pickle, Poppy and Peanut.

To congratulate their part in the naming of the Park’s new penguins, the children were presented with a certificate and their very own penguin toy from Paultons Park.

James Mancey, Operations Director at Paultons Park, said: “We are delighted with the names that have been suggested and selected for our penguin chicks. We’re even more pleased to hear that Cassidy and Jack have both recently been discharged from the Southampton Children’s Hospital and are now happily and safely at home with their families.

“We’re proud to support Southampton Hospitals Charity as our nominated charity and thank them for their support and involvement in our recent penguin naming project.”

Jeneen Thomsen, Joint Interim Director of Southampton Hospitals Charity said: “The children at Southampton Children’s Hospital had so much fun coming up with names for the penguin chicks at Paultons Park.

"They came up with so many options that we were glad to have the help of the public to choose the final three.

“Cassidy and Jack are over the moon for their names to have won the vote and, now that they have been discharged as in-patients at the hospital, will look forward to visiting the park to see the penguins in due course.”

The Humboldt penguin colony is just one element of Paultons Park’s extensive zoo attractions. The Park’s 140 acres of grounds includes a large collection of exotic birds, plus the themed land Little Africa which showcases many of the continent’s most fascinating animals such as meerkats, fennec foxes and porcupines.