Visit Maidstone this summer and enjoy the fabulous new free art trail ‘Shaun the Sheep in the Heart of Kent’ brought to you by Heart of Kent Hospice.
The 109 large and small ewe-nique artworks will be displayed across Maidstone in key locations until 30 August 2024.
One of the easiest ways to find them all and take part in this fun art trail is to download the free trail map from the App Store or Google Play or pick up a map from key locations around Maidstone Town Centre including Shaun HQ in Fremlin Walk or Shaun’s Baa-rn in the Mall.
All the locations will be listed on the map so turn detective and locate all 51 of the uniquely designed large Shaun the Sheep Sculptures and also discover all the little flocks of Shaun the Sheep Sculptures which were decorated and designed by local schools, community groups and care homes.
When you have completed the trail and found all the Sculptures visit Shaun HQ in Fremlin Walk or Shaun’s Baa-rn in the Mall to get your well-deserved finishers sticker. Shaun the Sheep merchandise will also be available to purchase and for just £1 you can enter a raffle to win your very own little classic Shaun sculpture plus other Shaun themed prizes.
‘Shaun the Sheep in the Heart of Kent’ is a creative partnership between Heart of Kent Hospice, Wild in Art, Aardman and Presenting Partner, Maidstone Borough Council.
Erica Snow, Project Manager at Heart of Kent Hospice said: “Creating an art trail on this scale takes a whole team and we absolutely couldn’t have put the trail together without the amazing support of all our partners, sponsors and volunteers. Not to mention all the wonderful artists, from Kent and further afield, who have created the most amazing designs and schools, community groups and care homes who are all part of the Learning and community programme.
“This new art trail follows the successful Elmer’s Big Heart of Kent Parade in 2021.
“The trail is not only fun but a great way to discover some of the amazing places in Maidstone Town Centre including iconic attractions together with the picturesque parks and river walks.
“Shaun is cheeky and mischievous, and surrounded by his farmyard friends he lives life to the full – the Hospice hopes this new art trail will not only raise vital funds for the Hospice when the sculptures are auctioned in September but will also serve as a reminder that Heart of Kent Hospice is there to provide support to patients and their loved ones when they need it most, both at home and within the Hospice which is located in Aylesford.”
Later this year people can book a slot to visit all the Shaun Sculptures under one roof at the Farewell Weekend which takes place between 13 – 15 September 2024. This is the ideal time to choose which Shaun Sculpture to bid on at an exciting live auction on Thursday 26 September 2024. All proceeds from the auction will help the Hospice to continue to provide outstanding Hospice care to the local community.
To ensure you don’t miss out on any of the fun, visit www.shaunheartofkent.co.uk to download the free app.
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About Heart of Kent Hospice
Heart of Kent Hospice has been providing free, compassionate, end-of-life care to people living with a terminal illness and their loved ones in Maidstone, Aylesford, Tonbridge and Malling and the surrounding towns and villages for the past 33 years.
The Hospice has built an excellent reputation within the local community for the quality of its care, which has been further endorsed by the Care Quality Commission who awarded us with an overall rating of ‘Outstanding’ following an inspection in February 2017.
Our vision is for everyone living with a terminal illness in our community to achieve the best quality of life. We are committed to achieving this by enabling them to live in comfort, with independence and dignity to the end of their lives, and to support those closest to them.
Last year the Hospice cared for over 2,000 patients and their families in their own homes or at our Aylesford-based Hospice. Our charity needs to raise £6 million to deliver all the Hospices services, and we depend heavily on our loyal community of supporters, whose generous donations and fundraising activities raise money for us every year.
For regular news and updates relating to the Hospice, please follow us on social media:
About Wild in Art
Wild in Art is the leading producer of spectacular public art events that entertain, enrich, inform and leave a lasting legacy. It brings together businesses and creative sectors with schools and local communities through the creation of uniquely painted sculptures.
Since 2008 Wild in Art has animated cities across the world including Sydney, Auckland, Cape Town and São Paulo, and created trails for the London 2012 Olympics, the 2014 and 2022 Commonwealth Games, Historic Royal Palaces, award-winning animation studio Aardman and Penguin Random House.
Wild in Art events have:
- Enabled over £26.3m to be raised for charitable causes
- Injected £4.3m into local creative communities
- Engaged over 1.2 million young people in learning programmes
- Helped millions of people of all ages to experience art in non-traditional settings
The Wild in Art apps are available to download from the App Store and Google Play.wildinart.co.uk | @wildinart | #wildinart
About Aardman
Aardman is an employee-owned company, based in Bristol (UK) and co-founded in 1976 by Peter Lord and David Sproxton. An independent, multi-Academy Award® and BAFTA® award winning studio, it produces feature films, series, advertising, games and interactive entertainment. Current animated productions include the feature length sequel Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget and a brand new Wallace & Gromit film for 2024.
Its productions are global in appeal, novel, entertaining, brilliantly characterised and full of charm reflecting the unique talent, energy and personal commitment of the Aardman team. The studio’s work – which includes the creation of much-loved characters including Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, Timmy Time and Morph – is often imitated, and yet the company continues to lead the field producing a rare brand of visually stunning content for cinema, broadcasters, digital platforms and live experiences around the world. Recent celebrated projects include the Academy Award® and BAFTA® nominated short film Robin Robin, International Emmy® award winning Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas, BAFTA® nominated preschool series The Very Small Creatures and the brand new CGI comedy series for kids Lloyd of the Flies.
The studio runs the Aardman Academy which has a commitment to nurturing talent by delivering excellence in film and animation training and mentoring. The Aardman Academy offers a variety of courses from intensive one-day workshops teaching production skills and storyboarding, to comprehensive twelve-week courses for professionals in craft based subjects from model making to animation.
In November 2018 it became an Employee Owned Organisation, to ensure Aardman remains independent and to secure the creative legacy and culture of the company for many decades to come. www.aardman.com
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