A celebration of the world of Beatrix Potter in the form of a Fundraiser – a fictional character takes on a real-life role in celebrating St Oswald’s 40th anniversary.
St Oswald’s Hospice is a well-respected, Newcastle-based charity that provides compassionate and specialist palliative care for adults and children who may be terminally ill or have a life-limiting condition. Established in 1986, St Oswald’s Hospice prioritises quality of life free of charge, relying on community support and donations to continue helping people who need it most. This summer, their Peter Rabbit-themed fundraiser will hope to make people all over the North East flock – or rather hop – to it to raise money for what the Hospice’s Chief Executive Steph Edusei described as their ‘way of saying thank you to the people of this region.’
Peter Rabbit™: Tales of the Tyne opens July 15th and runs until September 14th – But what does it entail? Well, for these nine weeks, you may be able to spot up to 90 Peter Rabbit sculptures, dispersed all around Newcastle and North Tyneside! The bigger sculptures have been carefully painted by talented artists, many of whom work/live locally, with the smaller sculptures kept in little groups or ‘fluffles’ being painted by schools and youth groups, which are displayed indoors forming a mini trail.
The event has been organised by St Oswald’s Hospice; but the trail’s Headline Partner is Newcastle City Council with support from the North of Tyne Combined Authority. Additionally, with the help of Northumbrian Water and North Standard, and finally the trail being in partnership with Creative Producers Wild in Art and the World of Peter Rabbit™ you can see so many organisations have taken part in making this fundraiser happen, with the leader of Newcastle City Council Cllr Karen Kilgour agreeing she was “proud to support such a fantastic initiative and worthwhile cause.”
During the trail, people, young and old, can follow the printed map or download the app to track and find the sculptures scattered around the North East, predominantly located in parks, public buildings and other well-known parts of Newcastle. But what’s the catch? To make the trail even more engaging, those involved in the trail can use the code on each sculpture plinth to ‘unlock’ rewards and milestones for spotting the rabbits. In addition to this fun and interactive feature, there will be a dedicated trail HQ at St Oswald’s Hospice’s Ouseburn shop, where maps and a variety of merchandise/souvenirs can
be bought.
But that’s not all: there will be a weekend Farewell Event from 10-11th October, where the public can gather to see all the sculptures displayed in one place for a final time – with the smaller sculptures being returned to the schools and youth groups who painted them, and the bigger sculptures will go to an auction (held at Newcastle Civic Centre on October 14th). Charlie Langhorne, Managing Director and Co-founder of Wild in Art said
“I have no doubt that Peter Rabbit will capture the imaginations of visitors alike, while helping to raise vital funds for St Oswald’s.”
For more information on this exciting milestone fundraiser, hop to
www.talesonthetyne.co.uk or follow the trail on Facebook, X/Twitter, or Instagram using the hashtag #TalesOnTheTyne to show interest and support for this creative collaboration.
Written by
Tilly Montague
Guest Writer