A bird’s eye view of The Big Hoot

Date published: 25 July 2024

Have you had a Hoot in Chichester and Arundel yet this summer?

So far, visitors have walked a total of 1,475 miles in search of the brightly coloured owl sculptures that have appeared across West Sussex. The event has been staged by Chestnut Tree House in collaboration with Wild in Art, with all money raised going to the children’s hospice in its 21st year.

Last week, sponsors of the trail enjoyed a bird’s eye view as they toured the sculptures from the top deck of a vintage 1960s Southdowns bus.

They were joined by Brighton-based artists Judith Berrill and Serena Sussex, whose designs form part of The Big Hoot. From Chichester Harbour to the distinctive cathedral, 20 large owls and 20 small sculptures have landed in locations across the city. To celebrate the trail taking flight, sponsors and VIPs toured the city centre on foot before heading to Arundel to see more of the owls in their positions. Finally, the bus called at Chestnut Tree House, the children’s hospice just outside Arundel, to tour the grounds, meet some of the team and learn more about what sponsors’ support means to the charity.

The beautiful vintage bus, with its distinctive green and cream Southdowns livery, was generously provided for the occasion by Stagecoach, who also sponsored an owl – Serena Sussex’s design, TwitchesterTwoo.

Serena said: “My design was based on Chichester Cathedral, and I’ve used some of the details from the stained glass windows on my owl’s wings and eyes. It was a good challenge! In my day job, I’m a landscape artist and it’s fun to do something more graphic with these Wild in Art trails. It’s so interesting to see the different designs artists have created, all based around the same owl shape.”

Steve Thorpe, Customer Communications Officer at Stagecoach South, said: “Stagecoach is proud to support the Big Hoot art trail, a fun and creative event which brings many families and friends together to explore Chichester and Arundel. Many of the sculptures can be found across our Chichester bus network and service 9 into Arundel.

“We’re delighted to be sponsoring our very own owl sculpture, TwitchesterTwoo. Chichester is right in the heart of our business, and we felt that the design really resonates with the beautiful cathedral city. By sponsoring an owl, we’re hoping to play an important role in supporting Chestnut Tree House and increase awareness of the amazing work they do”.

Alison Taylor, corporate fundraising manager at Chestnut Tree House, said: “At Chestnut Tree House, we add life to shortened years, helping families to make the most of the time they have together. Those memories are priceless, but the care and opportunities we give to children with life-limiting conditions do come at a price. It costs more than £5m each year and only a small percentage of those are met by government funding.

“For the rest, we rely on the generosity of our local community. Initiatives such as The Big Hoot allow us to raise funds and awareness for children’s hospice care, all while providing a fun, free day out for families this summer. We are enormously grateful to our generous sponsors and our principal partner Rubix VT. It’s been a pleasure to show them the sculptures in their positions and share more of what we do here at Chestnut Tree House.”

The Big Hoot runs until 1 September. Want to follow the trail yourself? Trail maps are available in Chestnut Tree House charity shops, as well as Chichester and Arundel’s museums and libraries, while the app is free to download.

Find out more about the trail