Keech Hospice Care calls out to Luton schools and community groups to design sculpture for Short Tail Trail

Keech Hospice Care is calling out to all schools, colleges and youth and community groups to design and paint their own baby hare or tortoise sculptures which will feature in The Short Tail Trail in summer 2024.

The trail will showcase over 90 hare and tortoise sculptures in and around Luton town centre for people to come and enjoy. The Big Trunk Trail took place in summer 2021 and raised over £230k for the adult and children’s hospice which helps support 2,500 local people every year.

The Short Tail Trail will be live from July 2024, but schools and local groups are being asked to pledge their involvement now, and those that do will receive their hare or tortoise sculpture ready for painting in February 2024.

Daniella Toyer, Assistant Headteacher at Bushmead Primary School who took part in The Big Trunk Trail said: “We loved being part of the Big Trunk Trail. We got the whole school involved in designing our elephant and our winners were two children who had used our school values and our house groups in their design. We thought this was so personal to our school that we couldn't resist using both designs on our elephant 'Brilliant Bushmead'. To this day 'BB' sits in our entrance foyer and welcomes all people into our school!

“To raise money we decided to keep it simple and asked all children and staff to come to school for the day in animal inspired costumes! We had a fun day learning about the hospice and the valuable work they do, along with finding out facts about elephants! Our parents and community were so supportive and we managed to raise over £1000 in one day, as many of us know of the valuable work that Keech Hospice Care do, and were very generous with their donations.

“We just can't wait to be involved in The Short Tail Trail!”

A high-profile community eventParticipating groups will have until April 2024 to complete their design. The baby hares and tortoises will then form part of the trail in indoor locations in Luton, where the participating groups’ creativity will be on show to thousands of visitors over the 10-week trail.

Once the trail finishes, the hares and tortoises will return to their forever homes at the schools or community groups as a lasting legacy of The Short Tail Trail. The larger sculptures, which will be sponsored by businesses, will be sold at auction, with all proceeds going to Keech Hospice Care.

Charlie Langhorne, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Wild In Art, the creator of the sculptures, said: “Creativity is at the heart of all we do at Wild in Art. From stunning paintings to awe inspiring mosaics; creativity is our foundation block. It is therefore important that everyone is given the opportunity to get creative, explore their imaginations, and have fun and learn through a Wild in Art trail. We hope that you enjoy the creative process as you engage with the learning programme and we can’t wait to see the results. Get messy and get creative!”

How to get involvedTo get involved, schools, colleges and community groups are asked to pledge to raise £1,250 to own a baby hare or tortoise. Keech Hospice Care’s fundraising team will support each school/group and can visit them to talk to the students in an assembly.

Liz Searle, CEO of Keech Hospice Care, said: “Getting involved in The Short Tail Trail by customising their own baby hare and tortoise enables group members to connect with their community and wider world through art and collaboration. Educational goals can be met in a fun and accessible way and the project can be integrated into the creative curriculum across a number of subjects. It encourages students to experiment with different art forms, while giving the school, college or group a wonderful opportunity to develop its links with the local community and form strategic partnerships. And all this while helping to raise money for a hugely worthwhile cause.”

Cllr Javeria Hussain, Chair of Luton Rising, said: “We are delighted to be supporting Keech Hospice Care with this wonderful project which will make the town feel more colourful and energetic than ever.

“We own our airport entirely for community benefit and supporting worthy projects, causes and charities, so we jumped at the chance of getting involved in this. The trail will capture the imagination of schools, businesses and residents across the town and most importantly raise funds for Keech which does vital work supporting families across our community.”

Roisin Kendall, Access & Outreach Manager at the University of Bedfordshire, said: “The University of Bedfordshire is extremely proud and excited to be the education sponsor for the 'Short Tail Trail'. The role of Keech in supporting the communities of our county and beyond is key to the social and community responsibilities of the university. This project will bring together our work with primary, secondary and further education in promoting our civic values and partnerships within Luton, working towards higher education for all and the opportunities this can bring. We look forward to being a part of this amazing project which will bring an immersive experience of live art to the children, young people and families of Luton.”A video introducing The Short Tail Trail can be viewed here. Schools/colleges/groups interested in taking part can visit Short Tail Trail - Keech Hospice Care, or email [email protected] or call 01582 707 940.