The countdown is on to when colourful Snoopy sculptures take to the streets of Porthcawl as part of Dogs Trust’s special public art trail.
Six supersized statues depicting Charlie Brown’s trusty sidekick from the cartoon strip Peanuts will be located in key locations around the town from 8 April – 5 June 2022.
Each statue has been uniquely decorated by local artists with the addition of 12 mini-Snoopy sculptures created by schools including include Brynmenyn Primary, Brynteg School, Afon y Felin Primary, Tondu Primary, St Mary’s and St Patrick’s RC Primary, Ysgol Cynwyd Sant, Maesteg School, Nottage Primary, Abercerdin Primary, Coety Primary, Pencoed Primary, and Cwmfelin Primary.
The mini statues will be displayed in ‘packs’ at indoor locations across Porthcawl including at the harbour, Rest Bay Watersports Centre and Grand Pavilion.
Visitors to the town will be able to locate each of the colourful artworks and take advantage of special offers from businesses along the trial using the Dog’s Trail app which will be launched in the coming weeks.
Rebecca Staden, project manager of A Dog’s Trail with Snoopy, said: “This is the first ever Snoopy sculpture art trail to be held in the UK so with just four weeks to go before the sculptures are finally unveiled, it’s really exciting.
“The trail is a real feel-good event which has already brought communities together with schools designing the smaller Snoopy sculptures, businesses getting on board as sponsors and artists having the chance to showcase their work.
“We hope that between 8 April and 5 June, thousands of people will come on walkies with us and enjoy the trail.”
Cllr Stuart Baldwin, Cabinet Member for Communities, said: “Over several months now, the local authority has been working closely with the Dog’s Trust, which has a rehoming centre based near Penyfai, to host the mini-trail in Porthcawl as an extension of the main trail in Cardiff.
“It’s a brilliant opportunity for the visitor economy in Porthcawl and will also help the local economy while benefiting a fantastic charity which already has links to the county borough.
“We are also looking to raise the profile of Bridgend County Borough as a dog-friendly destination with some targeted publicity and marketing activity taking place.”
Sponsors for the Porthcawl event include Bridgend College who have sponsored the Snoopy sculpture called Kintsugi which will be located in front of the Grand Pavilion and First Cymru Buses whose Snoopy sculpture, Happy Little Clouds, will be located in the band stand on John Street.
When the trail ends, the sculptures will be auctioned at a special event to support the work of Dogs Trust.
Keep an eye out on the council website and social media channels for further announcements about the event including the locations of each Snoopy statue and how to download the app.
To find out more about the trail please visit www.adogstrail.org.uk
As a pre-cursor to the event, the council have also been working on Woof you were here, a campaign which aims to promote Bridgend County Borough as a dog-friendly destination. A toolkit for businesses including top tips, an image bank and videos can be found on the Visit Bridgend website.