A new public art event in the north east will see animated character The Snowdog set sail across the North Sea thanks to a sponsorship deal with DFDS, which was announced this week.
Around 80 large sculptures based on the popular character from The Snowman™ and The Snowdog will form a mass public arts trail around Tyne and Wear from September to December this year in an event to support St Oswald’s Children’s Hospice.
As a key supporter and sponsor of a Great North Snowdog, DFDS will host one of the giant sculptures onboard its ship Princess Seaways during August. The DFDS Snowdog will be decorated to fit a maritime theme and will sail between Newcastle and Amsterdam every day for the ferry company’s passengers to enjoy. The DFDS Snowdog will help promote the Great North Snowdogs public art trail and encourage visitors to sample the North East’s wealth of cultural attractions. The chance to name the Snowdog will be opened up to DFDS’ Facebook fans in an upcoming competition with the winner also able to take a tour of the bridge whilst the ship is docked in port, visit www.facebook.com/dfdsseawaysuk.
The trail will feature sculptures sponsored by businesses and decorated by national and local artists. At the end of the year, the Great North Snowdogs will be auctioned and money raised from the sale of the unique sculptures will support St Oswald’s Hospice Children’s Service, which cares for children with incurable conditions.
Max Foster, passenger director for DFDS, said: “We’re excited to be a sponsor of the Great North Snowdogs and support the creation of yet another fantastic visitor attraction for the region. We look forward to seeing the designs for our Snowdog next month and to helping as many people as possible to discover the trail and explore the region.”
To track the progress of the painting and installation of the DFDS Snowdog follow the company on Twitter @DFDSSeaways. More information about Great North Snowdogs is available at www.greatnorthsnowdogs.co.uk.
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Notes to editors:
St Oswald’s Hospice provides specialist care for North East adults, young people and children with incurable conditions. We need to raise over £7 million each year through voluntary giving and legacies to continue to provide our services. No charge is made to patients for the services provided, ensuring hospice care is available to all. For more information please visit www.stoswaldsuk.org
Wild in Art is one of the UK’s leading creative producers of mass-appeal public art events, which engage residents and tourists alike, through the creation of citywide trails of uniquely painted sculptures. From crashes of rhinos in Sydney and parliaments of owls in Birmingham to BookBenches in London and and Commonwealth Games Clyde mascots in Glasgow, Wild in Art events have animated cities and enthralled people the world over, raising over £6m for charity partners along the way. Wild in Art also provide unique art education resources which engage and inspire young people and enhance learning across the curriculum.
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. The Snowman brand enjoys an international audience with global broadcast of the sequel, along with an array of consumer products now available. Snowman Enterprises Limited (SEL) is a Penguin owned company.
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About DFDS:
DFDS is Northern Europe’s largest integrated shipping and logistics company, with a network of around 30 routes and 50 freight and passenger ships.
DFDS prides itself on offering world-class facilities and services and the widest choice of ferry routes into northern Europe.
In the UK, the company operates passenger ferry services on routes from Dover to Calais, Dover to Dunkirk, Newcastle to Amsterdam and Newhaven to Dieppe.
DFDS has been named the ‘World’s Leading Ferry Operator’ for the last five years (2011-15), as well as ‘Europe’s Leading Ferry Operator’ at the prestigious 2014 and 2015 World Travel Awards.
DFDS currently operates up to 54 sailings a day between Dover and France on its Dover-Dunkirk and Dover-Calais routes. DFDS also offers two daily sailings between Newcastle and Amsterdam. In addition, the DFDS network includes a passenger and freight service between Newhaven to Dieppe, which has four daily sailings and is operated by Transmanche Ferries.
For further information about DFDS, or to find out about the latest sailing times, fares and offers across all routes from the UK, visit www.dfds.co.uk.
