Snowdogs by the Sea art trail starts tomorrow across Brighton and Hove

Giant snowdog sculptures will be on show across the city tomorrow (Saturday 24 September) and look like being Brighton’s biggest ever mass participation public art event to date.

There will be 45 individually designed sculptures – inspired by the animated short film The Snowman and the Snowdog – dotted across the city.

The art trail has been organised by the Martlets Hospice, the arts and education company Wild in Art and publisher Penguin.

Celebrities and local businesses, including the Palace Pier, Theatre Royal and Brighton Marina, are supporting the project in the form of designing and sponsoring individual snowdogs. Norman Cook – aka Fat Boy Slim – designed one called Boomer which plays music and will be at the Beach Café which he owns.

As well as the trail, there is also a pack of 20 snowdog puppy sculptures designed by local school children. They are on display for the duration of the trail at the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, Booth Museum of Natural History, Hove Library, Hove Museum and Jubilee Library.

The Martlets worked with teachers as part of an education programme to help them understand bereavement and loss when working with children.

Martlets chief executive Imelda Glackin said: “I know Snowdogs by the Sea will bring our whole community together, provide free days out for children and families and help to create memories that will last a lifetime.”

Brighton and Hove Buses is even running an open-top bus tour of the sculpture trail to raise funds for the Martlets Hospice care facilities.

The bus tour starts from Brighton Marina on Monday 3 October and will last two hours from 4.30pm. The tour includes commentary from award-winning driver Lynne Cornect, who recently won the top female UK bus driver award.

The snowdog trail starts tomorrow and continues until Sunday 27 November.

A map of the trail can be found on the Snowdogs by the Sea website. Locations include the Dome, Pier and Churchill Square shopping centre.

The sculptures will be auctioned once the trail period has ended to raise funds for the Martlets Hospice.