Magical Snowdogs Art Trail Gets Ashford Walking into Health and Happiness
Press release
15 October 2018
Are art trails the route to fitness? Snowdogs Discover Ashford, a Wild in Art event brought to the town by Ashford Borough Council and Pilgrims Hospices, has certainly got local people on the move. Just one month on from the launch of the exciting town centre art trail, a distance of over 600 miles has been covered by people on the hunt for the 35 quirky characters (and 19 Snowpups) inspired by the classic Raymond Briggs film, The Snowman and The Snowdog™.
The Snowman™ is one of the world's most popular children's books, selling in excess of nine million copies worldwide. Adapted for screen in 1982, this Oscar nominated animation has become a much-loved Christmas favourite. 2018 is a particularly special year for Ashford to be hosting the Snowdog trail, as it also marks the 40th anniversary of The Snowman™.
Each week of the trail, which runs between September and November, celebrates the film's themes of life, love, loss, friendship, companionship, strength and kindness, and has been well received by the local community who have come together to embrace the messages conveyed.
Since the launch, the popularity of the 6ft tall, brightly coloured dogs has surpassed all expectations with over 3,500 downloads of the app since its launch on the September 12, and 2,089 reward redemptions recorded via the app.
To date (October 11 2018):
- The app has had a total of 81,670 new visits since its launch in September
- 35,880 participants have unlocked rewards via the app
- A distance of 607.1 miles has been walked by participants
- This equates to 1430,652 steps walked over 5,682 hours - all recorded via the app's inbuilt pedometer
- The most popular dog is Snowbrador, which has been voted for 1,023 times by app users
- The most visited dog is Wonder - Inspire - Shine (WIS), which has been unlocked a massive 81,674 times
At the end of the trail, each Snowdog will be auctioned by Pilgrims Hospices to raise vital funds which will enable them to continue offering support where and when it's needed for local people and their families coping with incurable illness.
Kate Duddell, Fundraising Manager at Pilgrims Hospices, said: "The Snowdogs Trail has allowed us to reach so many children and adults, we have been thrilled to see families; young and old, couples, individuals and young adults out enjoying the trail, having picnics in the parks, enjoying the art and Snowdog hunting. Like the story of the Snowman and the Snowdog, we are all about the celebration of life, enjoyment, wellness and the changes and challenges it brings. Seeing our community make the most of the fresh air and vibrant green spaces of Ashford has been a real pleasure."
Kate added: "Pilgrims Hospices is a treasured local charity in east Kent. For more than 35 years we have been supporting families facing the challenge of terminal illness. We know that we have touched the lives of 1 in 3 families across east Kent, and everyone who has been touched by our care will have a story to tell about what our services means to each individual. It is a great pleasure for us to be involved in this wonderful project for the benefit of the community and for Pilgrims."
ENDS
Editors notes
Snowdogs Discover Ashford runs from September 12 until November 18 2018.
A short video showing Mr Doodle and other artists working on their Snowdogs can be seen here: https://youtu.be/RCvbLTwd-ns
High res images are available on request
A video detailing the success of the trail so far can be viewed on the main Ashford Snowdogs social media accounts (@ashfordsnowdogs).
All further information about the trail can be found on the official Snowdogs Discover Ashford website - https://ashfordsnowdogs.co.uk
Issued on behalf of Ashford Borough Council
Darren Laws
Public Relations
01634 671167