Nexus is sponsoring a sculpture in an exciting new Shaun the Sheep public arts trail which launches next summer in aid of St Oswald’s Hospice.
The much-loved and Oscar nominated Aardman Animations character will be coming to Newcastle in the summer of 2023, when 50 individually decorated sculptures of him will be placed in streets, parks and public areas.
The arts trail, which follows the hugely successful Great North Snowdogs in 2016 and Elmer’s Great North Parade in 2019, will run for ten weeks from Wednesday 19 July to Wednesday 27 September 2023.
Nexus, the public body which owns and manages the Tyne and Wear Metro, is sponsoring one of the Shaun the Sheep sculptures that will appear on the trail.
Much of the Shaun the Sheep trail will be easily reached using Metro services.
Customer Services Director, Huw Lewis, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the Shaun the Sheep on The Tyne trail, which promises to be a fantastic event for the whole family to enjoy.
“Metro was the headline partner for the Snowdogs trail in 2016 and Elmer the Elephant in 2019. They both proved really popular and it was great for Metro because we saw an uplift in customer numbers as people got out and about to see the sculptures.
“We will have one of the 50 sculptures on the trail and we will let people know where that will be located nearer to the beginning of the trail’s start date next summer.”
Chief Executive at St Oswald’s Hospice, Steph Edusei, said: “The trail will showcase the wealth of artistic talent in the area, whilst positively contributing to the economic, social and cultural life of the region.
“But above all it will be fun, and our way of saying thank you to the people of this region for all the love and support they have shown St Oswald’s Hospice over the years. We exist to help them, but we couldn’t do that if they didn’t help us – and we are immensely grateful.”
Shaun the Sheep on the Tyne will also be supported by a region-wide learning programme for schools and children’s groups with smaller Shaun sculptures forming a second trail across Tyne and Wear.
As with the Elmer and Snowdogs, the event will culminate with an autumn auction of the Shaun the Sheep sculptures to raise funds to support the patients and families we care for at the hospice.
For more information about Shaun the Sheep on the Tyne, visit www.shaunonthetyne.co.uk or follow the trail on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #ShaunOnTheTyne