Following the success of Pigs Gone Wild, Elmer’s Big Parade Suffolk and the Big Hoot Ipswich 2022, St Elizabeth Hospice has announced it will be hosting a fourth art trail next year.
Created in partnership with creative producers Wild in Art, similar to previous art trails the project will see ornately decorated sculptures, featuring a range of designs, hosted in Ipswich over the summer of 2025 – as well as some new enhancements to excite trail enthusiasts.
The chosen sculpture remains a carefully guarded secret for now, but they will land in the county in June 2025, to form an art trail for visitors and locals alike to enjoy throughout the summer. While also helping to raise awareness and vital funds for St Elizabeth Hospice which improves life for people in East Suffolk, Great Yarmouth & Waveney living with a progressive or life-limiting illness.
The project has already been many months in the planning and now the momentum is growing with the hospice calling on local businesses and organisations to consider getting involved with sponsoring a sculpture or lending other practical support.
Celia Joseph, Community & Projects Manager at St Elizabeth Hospice, said: “We are so excited to announce the launch of our fourth art trail which will bring colour and positivity for the whole Suffolk community.
“The public support for our previous art trails – Pigs Gone Wild, Elmer’s Big Parade Suffolk and the Big Hoot – has always been fantastic and we cannot wait to host another art trail, which will see new and exciting elements that we are sure the community will get behind and enjoy.
“As our hospice services continue to grow across the region and support even more people at times in life when care matters most, we are keen for our latest art trail to be an even bigger success for the hospice and to reflect our growing area of service provision.
“The identity of the chosen sculpture remains a secret but we are confident that when it is revealed, people will agree it is a great choice, so watch this space for more details!”
The Big Hoot Ipswich 2022 art trail brought colour and creativity in 2022, with 50 ornately decorated owl sculptures making Ipswich their nest for the summer as part of the biggest free art event in Suffolk.
The sculptures were then auctioned in October 2022 where, alongside accompanying Big Hoot fundraising activities throughout the summer, they helped raise over £270,300 for St Elizabeth Hospice.
Councillor Neil MacDonald, Ipswich Borough Council Leader, said: “We are delighted that St Elizabeth Hospice are bringing their fourth art trail to Ipswich in 2025.
“These fantastic sculpture trails have enabled Ipswich residents to participate free of charge, visiting parts of the town they may otherwise not visit. As well as bringing many new visitors to the town from across Suffolk, and further afield. We eagerly await the revealing of what this next trail will feature and look forward to seeing progress of the decorating of the sculptures in the lead up to the trail.”
Councillor Craig Rivett, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Public Protection said: “Suffolk County Council is delighted to be a presenting partner for the St Elizabeth Hospice Art Trail 2025. Besides having important benefits for the hospice, and the tremendously important work they do for Suffolk residents, the wider benefits of the trail for the county are hugely significant.
“Previous trails have clearly demonstrated a positive economic impact with thousands of people joining in, spending time in the county and, spending their money in the county. They’ve also been successful in getting people moving and feeling the important benefits, both physically and mentally, of walking, cycling and running, as they visit the sculptures in situ. There’s also been a great buzz amongst residents, visitors and community groups alike, bringing people together around a common interest and purpose.
“I’m sure that the 2025 trail will be no different and I look forward to seeing even more people involved and enjoying this superb event.”
To register interest for Wild in Art 2025 please visit www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk/ipswich-art-trail-2025