The BFG public art trail in London to raise funds for Save the Children
Howard Lake | 4 May 2016 | News
A public art trail featuring giant six foot jars will come to London this summer, marking the release of the new children’s film The BFG and raising funds for Save the Children and Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity.
The BFG Dream Trail will consist of large jars containing sculptures created by artists, actors, celebrities and creatives. These will depict their childhood dreams and aspirations. Participants already include:
- the film’s director, Steven Spielberg
- The BFG’s star Mark Rylance who plays the eponymous friendly Giant
- Sophie Dahl, granddaughter of the book’s author, Roald Dahl
- illustrator Quentin Blake
- Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain
- Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams
- Arsenal Football Club
- paralympian David Weir
Phizz-Whizzing partnership
The trail is a partnership of Save the Children, Visitlondon.com, The Roald Dahl Literary Estate and Entertainment One UK.
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The artworks will appear at London landmarks including Trafalgar Square, St Paul’s Cathedral, The Tower of London, Leicester Square, and Emirates Stadium. Others will appear in “key locations around the UK”, including the Buckinghamshire home of Roald Dahl, Great Missenden.
Glorumptious fundraising
Spielberg said:
“I’m excited to join The BFG Dream Jar Trail so we can all share our dreams together. The best part of this project is its support of the valuable work that Save the Children does in giving kids across the world their own chances to dream big.”
Sophie Dahl, granddaughter of Roald Dahl, upon whom the main character of Sophie is said to be based, added:
“I am thrilled to be part of such a creative adventure in support of the incredible work of Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s charity. My grandfather was a great champion of dreams and imagination and I feel he would have been delighted to see his work supporting children in this way.”
Splendiferous trail
The trail will be open from 8 July to 31 August. and see numerous inspirational and magical dreams brought to life. VisitLondon.com will have a dedicated BFG section enabling visitors to London to view the trail map, share their pictures and discover the stories behind each jar and location.
The sculptures will feature details of how to donate to Save the Children as well as Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity. In addition, they will be auctioned after the trail closes.
Tanya Steele, CEO of Save the Children, said:
“We’re thrilled to be a beneficiary of The BFG Dream Jar Trail because, through the money raised, we’ll be able to make sure that more children get the opportunity to fulfil their potential no matter how big their dreams are. Together, we can rewrite the story for children everywhere.”
The BFG
The BFG tells the story of a young girl and the Giant who introduces her to the wonders and perils of Giant Country.
Spielberg’s live action film also stars British actors Rebecca Hall, Penelope Wilton and Rafe Spall and will be released across the UK on 22 July.
Squiffling Roald Dahl 100
The trail and film are launched 100 years after the birth of Roald Dahl. There will be celebrations for Roald Dahl 100 throughout 2016, including the world’s biggest Roald Dahl birthday party on 13th September 2016.
- Read about more public sculpture and art trails that have raised funds for charities.
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.