Ipswich Town Football Club announced as sponsor for St Elizabeth Hospice’s Hop To It! trail coming to Ipswich, Woodbridge, Felixstowe and Lowestoft and Beccles next year

A key supporter for a sculpture trail set to hop into Ipswich next year has been revealed.

Ipswich Town Football Club will sponsor one of more than 35 ornately-decorated hares which will dot the town from June 2025 as part of St Elizabeth Hospice’s Hop To It! art trail.

To celebrate the occasion, hospice staff joined Blues legend Matt Holland at Portman Road, alongside Skye, the first sculpture named for the project.

Mr Holland, who is now an ambassador for Ipswich Town, said: “The club is delighted to be supporting St Elizabeth Hospice’s art trail next year.

“We know from previous years how much joy the trails bring to families across Suffolk, while also raising vital funds for a hospice which has been such an important part of the community for many years.”

Hop To It! follows on from The Big Hoot art trail in 2022, which saw owls swoop into Ipswich town centre.

For the first time this year, smaller trail will also take place in Beccles, Woodbridge, Felixstowe and Lowestoft, with at least six sculptures planned for each town.

All the money raised would go towards the work the hospice does, providing end-of-life care, for which it spends about £12 million per year.

Liz Baldwin, corporate sponsorship and fund-raising manager for the hospice, said the team were thrilled the Tractor Boys decided to sponsor this year’s event.

She also told of how lovely it was to meet Mr Holland for the announcement.

She added: “The football club is synonymous with both Ipswich and the wider region, so having the Tractor Boys involved will add excitement to next summer’s art trail, which is set to bring colour and creativity to the local community, as people explore the trail and enjoy the statues in more locations than ever before.”