Three sculptures which were vandalised and removed from the great Waddle of Worcester art trail will be repaired in time for the final week of the event.
Starlit Journey, Percy and Kingfisher Azure were forcibly removed from their plinths in the early hours of Tuesday 20 August and badly damaged. Kingfisher Azure needed to be recovered from the River Severn on Wednesday 21 August.
Trail organisers, St Richard’s Hospice, have been racing against time to restore all three penguins before the trail ends on Sunday 15 September. All three sculptures needed fibreglass repair, repainting and re-varnishing with drying time in between.
Sara Matthews, Business Development Manager for St Richard’s Hospice, said: “We’re very happy to say that our trio of poorly penguins will return from ‘ice-olation’ this weekend.
“In the spirit of making them available as speedily as possible – and protecting their very fresh coats of paint and varnish – all three will be found in our pop-up penguin shop at 14 Chapel Walk, Crowngate Shopping Centre, from Saturday 7 September until the end of the trail on Sunday 15 September. Our shop is open from 10am to 4pm daily.
“All three will also stand shoulder to shoulder with their flippered friends at farewell events taking place during the first two weekends in October at Worcestershire County Cricket Club.
“A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the repair fundraiser set up by our friends at Worcestershire Ambassadors, which has raised a brrr-illiant £2,300. Thanks also to the lovely people at Sanctuary who are covering the cost of repairs to their penguin Starlit Journey. The generosity of all parties involved in repairing and restoring the sculptures means that repair costs will be covered in full. We cannot thank our community enough for huddling around us in our time of need.”
All 80 penguins will remain on display in Worcester until Sunday 15 September. After this, there will be the chance to say a final ‘goodbye’ at farewell events at Worcestershire County Cricket Club during the first two weekends in October.
Proceeds from the farewell events will support the free care and support that St Richard’s Hospice provides to local patients and their families. Tickets are £6 for adults and £3 for children aged two to 16, while under twos go free. Family tickets for either two adults, two children or one adult, three children are available for £15. To book visit: https://waddleofworcester.co.uk/events/farewell.
On Thursday 24 October, all 40 of the large penguins and one special ‘Ice-Ickle’ chick sculpture will be auctioned to raise hospice funds – while the remaining 40 chicks will be returned to the schools and groups which decorated them.
The great Waddle of Worcester is supported by Presenting Partners; Crowngate, DRPG, Worcester City Council and Worcestershire Ambassadors, Community and Education Partner; Worcester BID and Media Partners; the Worcester News and BBC Hereford & Worcester.
You can follow the great Waddle of Worcester at:https://www.facebook.com/WaddleOfWorcester/, https://twitter.com/WaddleOfWorc and https://www.Instagram.com/WaddleOfWorcester.
To find out more, visit www.waddleofworcester.co.uk.
