A public art trail featuring 88 colourful mermaid tail sculptures across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole has raised more than £200,000 for Julia’s House children’s hospice through a charity auction.
The Great Tail Trail’s Grand Auction took place on Friday 20 June at The Italian Villa in Compton Acres, with 48 sculptures going under the hammer and raising a total of £200,600. The event, attended by nearly 100 guests, was hosted by BBC Bargain Hunt auctioneer Charlie Ross.
Each sculpture had been uniquely designed by artists and sponsored by local businesses. Highlights included the AFC Bournemouth-themed ‘Growing Together’ tail, which sold for £17,500, and ‘Oceana’ which fetched £10,500. Julia’s House young ambassador Ebony Robinson also took part, leaving with a tail of her own called Moomaid.
The trail ran from 5 April to 1 June across BCP, with more than 5,000 people downloading the trail app and over 137,000 tails collected. Visitors walked over 16,000 miles combined, according to organisers.
Julia’s House partnered with Wild in Art to deliver the trail, involving 40 artists, 45 sponsors, and 43 schools and community groups. A farewell exhibition at Bournemouth International Centre attracted over 2,000 visitors and raised an additional £8,000.
The charity says the funds raised will help support the care it provides to seriously ill children and their families in Dorset and Wiltshire. Julia’s House is continuing to fundraise to meet rising costs, estimated at over £5 million this year.