S Poddar
Graffiti-glazed, painted, and collaged penguins – those bright penguin sculptures across Worcester for the last two months – are being brought together for a final farewell. These colourful creations, part of the “Waddle of Worcester” public art trail, have decorated the city’s streets since July with a view to raising funds for St Richard’s Hospice.
Each of the eighty penguins had been designed uniquely by the artists who were local to the area or were students and sponsored by businesses. It beautified the art trail, which was a delightfully beautiful connection of the arts and the community-it encouraged the residents to explore neighborhoods and appreciate the beauty of the city.
This was a trail of enormous popularity, although, in a few cases, some of the penguins were vandalized and one was rescued from the River Severn, but that did not deter the organizers of the event from their goal of raising money for St Richard’s Hospice.
As the trail comes to an end, a special farewell event will be held at Worcestershire County Cricket Ground. This whole weekend event lets members of the public take one final glimpse at the penguins, who will then be auctioned off to raise money for the hospice.
Project lead for Waddle of Worcester, Sarah Matthews said the enthusiasm that the community took on the event was profoundly appreciated. “It was amazing to see people explore different parts of the city while on the trail,” she said. “Though we did face a few unfortunate incidents, we are hopeful that people now realize why this is so vital to supporting St Richard’s Hospice.”
The ticketed viewing- during which an adult ticket will cost £6 and a children’s ticket £3, gives visitors who didn’t quite have the time to complete the whole trail or who just couldn’t wait, to see the penguins close up. It also provides an opportunity for potential bidders to inspect the sculpture before the auction.
The past elephant and giraffe trails combined, yes, have collectively raised in excess of £700,000 for St Richard’s Hospice. The Waddle of Worcester promises to add to that imposing total, making a lasting contribution to the lifeblood of community spirit and artistic expression.
