At first glance, primary school teachers and football mascots couldn’t seem more contrasting characters.
Beige suits - red and blue costumes.
Writing lines - roly-polies.
Carefully perched spectacles - giant, armless sunglasses.
For former Palace mascot Keith Blackwell, however, the two roles crossed seamlessly. Mr Blackwell by weekday, Pete the Eagle by alternate Saturdays.
The head teacher of Churchill Primary School, Keith chose to don the huge – almost frightening – eagle costume of the late 1990s on a whim.
With a vacancy advertised in the programme, Keith thought: “‘that would be fun.