And they’re off! The Short Tail Trail begins!

On Saturday 6 July, 90 hare and tortoise sculptures, all painted by professional artists and local community groups, landed in Luton for the start of the Keech Hospice Care Short Tail Trail.

The 60 small and 30 large brightly-coloured animals are now dotted throughout the town centre, and in Wardown Park and Stockwood Park, where they’ll remain for the next 10 weeks.

A free app ‘Short Tail Trail 2024’ which offers clues to the locations of the sculptures and bonus info about each one, is available to download through Google Play and Apps Store. It also offers local shopping rewards and the chance to attend special events.

The animal trail is free to take part in and can be enjoyed by the whole community, who have until Thursday 12 September to spot as many of the sculptures as they can. After that, the small sculptures will go to their forever homes, back at the schools and community groups who designed and painted them. The large sculptures will be sold in a charity auction on 3 October to raise vital funds for Keech Hospice Care.

It’s fantastic to see the hares and tortoises brightening up the town centre and surrounds this summer. The talented team of artists have created a collection which reflects the spirit of Keech Hospice Care, Luton and its communities. Every sculpture tells its own story and gives a nod to Luton and its past, present or future. So many of the sculptures created by our partnering schools and community groups share positive messages of love, hope, inclusion and peace, which is wonderful to see and a sign of our town’s strong community spirit.

We’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the schools and community groups who have so enthusiastically got involved, and to our sponsors and partners – local businesses who have been incredibly generous with their support. They include Love Luton, Luton Rising, Treacle Factory, Luton Point (formerly The Mall Luton), Luton Bid and the University of Bedfordshire.