St Elizabeth Hospice unveils Hop To It sculpture trail, featuring decorated hares – with smaller trails in Woodbridge, Felixstowe, Beccles and Lowestoft

Residents of several Suffolk towns will be leaping into action next summer as a hospice charity reveals its latest sculpture trail.

Thirty-eight ornately-decorated hares will be dotted around Ipswich from June 2025 as part of St Elizabeth Hospice’s Hop To It! trail.

New for this year will be smaller trails located in other Suffolk towns, including Woodbridge, Felixstowe, Beccles and Lowestoft, each featuring two large sculptures and several smaller ones.

The hospice charity unveiled the new theme at a special event at Christchurch Mansion on Monday, having announced that a new trail was coming last month.

Celia Joseph, fund-raising manager for St Elizabeth Hospice, said the team were thrilled to unveil the theme for next year’s event.

It was a closely-guarded secret for months, she said.

“We are so excited to fully reveal Suffolk will be home to a number of beautifully designed hare sculptures, in support of the hospice, in summer 2025,” she added.

This event follows the success of 2022’s The Big Hoot, featuring owl sculptures, 2019’s Elmer’s Big Parade, which featured decorated elephants, and Pigs Gone Wild, with colourful pigs, in 2016.

The trail will be created in partnership with Wild In Art.

Co-founder Charlie Langhorne said it was great to be back in Suffolk for the event.

He added: “Our events enable thousands of people of all ages to experience art by making it part of everyday life. They encourage exploration and drive footfall, creating a collective feeling of community and pride, and lead to a positive effect on the local economy.

“I’m delighted that this time, the satellite locations will enable even more people to enjoy the sculptures.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for businesses, the creative sector and children and young people to come together to create something very special.”