Bear art trail inspired by children's book opens

If you go down to Dartford today, you're sure of a big surprise.

A total of 31 large bear sculptures and more than 50 bear cub figures, designed by artists, schools and community groups in Kent, will be appearing around the borough from Friday.

The free public art trail is inspired by popular children's book We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury and will run until September.

Aimed at raising awareness of the work of ellenor, a specialist palliative and end of life care provider in Kent for patients and their families, the sculptures can be seen in parks, on streets, in museums and libraries and outside shops.

Charlie Langhorne, managing director and co-founder of trail producer Wild in Art, called it "a wonderful chance to bring people together, celebrate creativity and raise valuable funds" for the hospice charity.

Organisers expect more than 250,000 visitors, making it one of the borough's largest public art events.

The trail's official partner, Bluewater Shopping Centre, will also host a dedicated community hub on site where people can learn more about the project and the stories behind each sculpture.

In addition, a small number of extra bears, created as part of the project, will go directly to auction to raise further funds.

A spokesperson for ellenor said: "The famous mantra from We're Going on a Bear Hunt is, 'we can't go over it, we can't go under it, we've got to go through it'. And that perfectly reflects our mission.

"Just as the family in the book faces obstacles together, ellenor supports families through life's challenges."

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