With less than four weeks to go, Julia’s House children’s hospice, organiser of The Great Tail Trail, has revealed the locations you can see all its colourful mermaid tail sculptures across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) this spring.
The trail, which is completely free to enjoy, will be making its mer-mazing debut from 5 April, featuring 45 larger than life artist-designed sculptures and 43 ‘Tiny Tails’ decorated by schools and local groups as part of a learning programme. From beachside locations at Sandbanks, Boscombe Pier, Canford Cliffs and Southbourne to town centre spots at Poole Quay, Bournemouth International Centre, the Vitality Stadium and Castlepoint, you won’t be able to miss the giant mermaids as they bring a splash of colour and creativity across BCP.
The Julia’s House charity shops at Creekmoor, Westbourne, Wallisdown, Poole and Christchurch will be hosting Tiny Tails and selling maps and merchandise too, once the trail is underway.
Once the trail ends, the sculptures will be sold at a Grand Auction that is hoped will raise thousands of pounds for Julia’s House, so it can continue to provide its specialist care for local children with life-limiting and complex conditions and support their families.
“We are so excited the trail is nearly here – we can’t wait! And it’s great to be able to share all our locations now too, so people can start to plan their trip to the trail and work out potential routes. There are so many amazing designs to see, you won’t want to miss one!” said Laura Maidment, Public Fundraising Manager for Julia’s House.
“We have so many iconic locations here in BCP which will provide the perfect backdrop for our stunning mermaid tails. You’ll find sculptures in the towns, along the coastline and through the Gardens, providing a family-friendly walking trail which will encourage everyone to explore the sights, whether you’re a visitor to the area or are lucky enough to live here. The trail is something that everyone in BCP can be really proud of – it highlights our beautiful area, showcases some amazing local and national artists, and brings together businesses, schools, community groups and the public. We’d love everyone to explore the trail, get some fresh air and exercise with family and friends and enjoy seeing some wonderful artwork across the three towns!”
Over the last couple of months, the mermaid tails have been kept under wraps at Castlepoint, with some of the artists bringing their designs to life on site.
David Pickett, Centre Manager of Castlepoint comments: “It has been our privilege to enjoy behind-the-scenes glimpses of some extraordinary artworks beginning to adorn the Tails, as the artists have turned designs into reality right here in our secret studio space at Castlepoint. Now it is time for us to bid most of the sculptures farewell as they are delivered to locations across the region for the whole community to find. One will remain very close, however, as part of Castlepoint’s continued support for Julia’s House and the Great Tail Trail!”
Download the app
You can navigate your way around the trail with The Great Tail Trail app from Google Play or the App Store. You’ll be able to tick off each mermaid tail as you find it, collect rewards from the generous sponsors, vote for your favourite tail and share fun photographs of yourself exploring the trail.
Time to say goodbye
Once the trail finishes, there will be one last chance to see all the mermaid tails together under one roof for a Farewell Weekend at the Bournemouth International Centre from 14-15 June. Music, games and entertainment for all ages will make it a fun family weekend with something for everyone as you look for your favourite tails and take one last selfie.
You can buy me
If you’d like to become the owner of a one-off piece of mer-mazing artwork you can bid for your favourite tail at a grand auction held at the Italian Villa, Compton Acres on 20 June. All proceeds from the auction will help Julia’s House continue its lifeline of care for children and families across Dorset.
Julia’s House has partnered with Wild in Art, the leading producer of spectacular public events, to bring The Great Tail Trail to BCP. They collaborated previously on the Pride in Bournemouth lion trail (2011) and more recently on The Big Dog Art Trail in Swindon during 2013, both of which raised funds and awareness for the children’s hospice charity.
Follow us
The Great Tail Trail goes live across BCP from 5 April to 1 June and you can discover more information by visiting www.greattailtrail.co.uk or follow all the news on Facebook and Instagram @greattailtrail