Wallace and Gromit fans in Bradley Stoke will be delighted to hear that the town will be hosting TWO giant sculptures on the Gromit Unleashed 2 arts trail that starts in early July.
Bristol Children’s Hospital charity, The Grand Appeal, has announced the locations and sponsors for its sixty-plus sculptures of Academy Award-winning characters Wallace, Gromit and Feathers McGraw and local accountancy firm Dunkley’s and the Willow Brook Centre have been revealed as proud hosts for two of the figures.
From 2nd July until 2nd September, trail visitors can expect to see over sixty sculptures, each individually designed and decorated by high-profile artists, designers, innovators and local talent, spread across the city and the surrounding areas. Thornbury represents the most northerly point, with Avon Valley Adventure and Wildlife Park and Chew Valley marking the East and South boundaries respectively, and Weston-super-Mare in the West.
This will be the third year that Dunkley’s have supported The Grand Appeal’s award-winning sculpture trails. In 2013 Dunkley’s sponsored the ‘Two Eds are Better than One’ Gromit as part of the first Gromit Unleashed trail and in 2015 they sponsored ‘Shaun of the Jungle’ as part of the Shaun in the City trail.
Dunkley’s director Lisa White said:
“We are really excited to be playing a part in such a high-profile Bristol-led event. As a business, we are looking forward to inviting our clients, friends from the business world and local community to our offices to embrace this opportunity. Giving back to the local area is very important to us as it is strongly rooted in our company values, so we are thrilled to be a big part of The Grand Appeal’s initiative.”
Lisa added:
“We are still in the process of finding out which Gromit we will have, so all we can say now is ‘expect the unexpected!’”
For the Willow Brook shopping centre, 2018 will be their first year of involvement with the hugely-popular charity arts trail.
Centre manager Andy Wynn said:
“We couldn’t be prouder to be playing our part to support this fantastic charity. We won’t ‘just’ have a Gromit, we’ve also got a summer of exciting activities celebrating his stay with us.”
Andy added:
“The Bristol Children’s Hospital and the Neonatal Unit are amazing resources that we are privileged to have on our doorstep. We are honoured to be playing our part to help raise much-needed funds for this invaluable charity.”
The Willow Brook Centre will be updating and sharing information on The Grand Appeal and the latest Gromit Unleashed updates on its social media: Facebook @WillowBrookCentre, Twitter @WillowBrookCtr and Instagram @willowbrookcentre
Nicola Masters, director of The Grand Appeal, said:
“We are incredibly fortunate to live in such a wonderfully diverse city, and we are proud to showcase as much of beautiful Bristol and its surrounding areas as possible through our third charity arts trail.”
“Over the last year, we have worked with our amazing sponsors, local community groups and the council to determine the best locations for each sculpture. It’s only with the support from our local community that we can continue to support sick children and their families at Bristol Children’s Hospital, so we are delighted that we are able to give something back to our supporters.”
A Gromit Unleashed 2 app will be available to help avid trail fans to hunt down sculptures, while a special passport trail will be created to celebrate the trail’s innovation themes. New Gromit Unleashed 2-inspired products, including the popular figurines, will be available for purchase with all proceeds benefiting patients and families cared for by Bristol Children’s Hospital and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St Michael’s Hospital.
Other local businesses and attractions hosting Gromit sculptures on this year’s trail include Aerospace Bristol, AJ Homes in Winterbourne and The Mall at Cribbs Causeway.
• Fore more details, visit www.gromitunleashed.org.uk
Photos: 1 Gromit Unleashed 2 sculptures revealed at the Clifton Observatory on 16th May. 2 Details from the first four Gromit Unleashed 2 sculptures revealed on 16th May.
This article originally appeared in the June 2018 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal news magazine (on pages 6 & 7). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.
