4 days ago
Dozens of colourful penguins waddle into Southend for start of new art trail
Dozens of colourful penguins have waddled into Southend as a new art trail gets underway.
The "Waddle-on-Sea" art initiative, organised by Havens hospices and Wild in Art, sees more than 31 super-sized penguin sculptures and 72 baby penguins placed around Southend and Leigh.
These penguins arrived today and will remain on display until September 3.
The penguin plinths, made from concrete and costing around £4,505 to manufacture, were donated by building product specialists Forterra.
Volunteers from BTMK, Rickard Luckin, Able Group and Rossi's (Image: Havens hospices)
This event, which is backed by the Echo, comes after a success of two previous art trails, Hares About Town and Herd In The City,
Vanessa Harvey from Havens hospices said: "We are incredibly grateful to Forterra for creating the bespoke plinths especially for the trail.
"Thanks to their kind donation, the sculptures look amazing and are standing proud.
"We can't wait for everyone to meet them."
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The penguins were carefully placed on their plinths by the "Penguin Patrol" and sponsors of the event.
Information stickers were then added by Revive Digital, BTMK, Rickard Luckin, and Rossi's.
In September, the large sculptures will be auctioned to raise money for the charity, Havens hospices, which provides specialist care and support for people of all ages who are living with incurable conditions and their families.
Sunny Southpole, designed by Neil Fendell, standing proud (Image: Havens hospices)
Trail-goers can buy a map of the trail from Havens hospices charity shops, the Pier Information Centre, The Forum, Leigh Library, and at Waddle-on-Sea HQs at The Royals Shopping Centre and 141 Leigh Road.
Alternatively, a Waddle-on-Sea app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.
Havens hospices relies on donations and fundraisers to continue providing free care for those who need it.
A sneak peek at one of the penguin's (Image: Havens hospices)
The charity's work is supported by initiatives such as Waddle-on-Sea.
Last year's event Herd In The City, raised £580,000 for Havens hospices.
For further details about the trail or the charity, visit or follow the event on Instagram at waddleonsea and Facebook at @waddle-on-sea.
