Figures show Snowdogs trail contributed £10m to local economy
Melanie May | 24 July 2017 | News
NGI statistics have shown that last Autumn’s Snowdogs by the Sea sculpture trail contributed £10 million to the local economy in Brighton & Hove.
The Snowdogs by the Sea trail raised funds for Martlets Hospice and was organised by the hospice and Wild in Art. According to the NGI statistics, which was commissioned by Wild in Art, visitor numbers were in excess of 350,000 with more than 14.6 million social media impressions for the hashtag #brightonsnowdogs and media coverage worth over £450,000.
In total, Snowdogs by the Sea raised £310,000 for Martlets Hospice and achieved new levels of awareness for the local charity. At the end of the trail, over ten thousand people watched the auction live on the Snowdogs by the Sea Facebook page and six thousand attended the farewell event to say goodbye. One hundred percent of the residents asked said they were proud to have the trail in their area, with 99% of visitors to the trail rating their experience as excellent or good.
The trail also attracted visitors from outside of the city and 19% of respondents stayed overnight whilst visiting the trial. The trail also encouraged locals to explore their own city, with 42% of visitors from Brighton & Hove saying that they had visited a new attraction or place as a result of visiting the trail.
The Snowdogs by the Sea app saw over 125,000 scans of each Snowdog’s unique ‘QR’ code, which ‘unlocked’ special offers from its sponsor, ranging from deals and discounts at local restaurants and shops, to competitions and prize draws.
One in three people questioned had visited the entire trail, with the majority doing so on foot, with the total distance walked around the Snowdog Trail approximately 2.6 million miles or the equivalent of walking around the earth 105 times. 85% of respondents agreed that the Snowdogs trail had encouraged them to get outdoors more, with 81% saying it encouraged them to walk further than usual. This supports a report released earlier this month by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing into the benefits of arts and culture on health and wellbeing. It found that after engaging with the arts, 77% of people engaged in more physical activity and 82% enjoyed greater wellbeing.
New report launched today by @ace_national says arts & culture support our well-being #artshealthwellbeing https://t.co/YYDyKGtBpe
— Cornwall Museums Partnership (@cornwallmp) July 19, 2017
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Martlets has announced that it is working on another sculpture trail with Wild in Art for Autumn 2018.
Imelda Glackin, Chief Executive for Martlets Hospice, said:
“We are so grateful to the Brighton and Hove community for their enthusiasm throughout the Snowdog campaign. The engagement we have seen from individuals and local businesses has been phenomenal. We set out to create something that would bring life to the city, inspiring people to get involved with Martlets and to connect with the story of The Snowman and the Snowdog – a tale of loss, love, memories and kindness at its heart, which mirrors our work at the hospice. The fundraising success we have seen as a result of the art trail has been incredible.”
About The Snowman™ and The Snowdog
Originally published in 1978, The Snowman™, created and illustrated by Raymond Briggs has become one of the world’s most popular children’s books. Available in 15 languages it has sold in excess of 8.5 million copies worldwide with over 3 million of these sales in the UK published under Puffin editions. Adapted for screen by producer John Coates, the Oscar-nominated animation launched on Channel 4 in its inaugural year in 1982 and has been repeated every Christmas since. The sequel, The Snowman™ and The Snowdog premiered on Channel 4 on Christmas Eve 2012 and was seen by over 10 million people over the festive period.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.