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Amy Bourbon – Amy is a fine artist specialising in painting and drawing, specifically large-scale oil painting.Art + Believe – Art+Believe is an artist duo from Brighton. Their artwork is bold, bright, geometric and colourful, taking inspiration different cultures.Ben Cavanagh – Ben describes his art style as bold, colourful, and something that both children and adults would enjoyDavid Cutts – David specialises in photorealistic drawings and is influenced by advertising images, film trailers and cartoons.Danielle Brooks – Taking inspiration from interiors, travel and nature, she brings warmth and energy to her work through her bold use of colour.Donna Newman – She is a self-proclaimed addict of public art trails and has worked closely with Wild in Art on more than 100 sculpture commissions.Emma Everitt – Emma likes using bold, bright colours with black outlining to make the colours pop even more. Her paintings are often inspired by the colours and sounds of natureHermarnie Maurri – Her work is a whimsical combination of adorable characters, intricate details, and magical settings, and she is very much inspired by nature and the natural world.Jina Gelder – Jina Gelder is a wildlife artist from the North East who primarily works in ink and watercolours.Jordan Explorer – Inspired by the worlds of themed entertainment and theatrical design, Jordan seeks to find visual solutions that communicate effectively in new and exciting ways.Judith Berrill – Judith is a painter, illustrator and theatre set designer based in Hove.Kerry Caffyn – Kerry is an artist who’s worked on a broad array of projects – from soft furnishing designs to costume making!Lottie Hickford – Lottie Hickford is a Sussex based artist who studied Illustration and is inspired by the natural world.Lucy Hebden – Lucy Hebden is a surface pattern and printed textile designer, her work is inspired by the natural world and always starts with hand painted motifs.Mark Oliver – Mark is an award-winning illustrator and highly innovative artist, with a strong pedigree of museum and art gallery exhibitions.Marta Zubieta – She is inspired by cartoons, sci-fi, pop culture and folklore and enjoys helping brands and individuals to talk to their audience with a touch of humour and surrealism.Mik Richardson – Mik’s art is inspired by his love of sci-fi, as well as personal and professional projects he also runs graffiti workshops for young people.MrASingh – Amrit Singh is a multi-award winning contemporary artist who creates textured mixed media artworks fusing nature and global cultures.Oleksandr Koltsov – His work combines symbols, encrypted elements and visual effects that influence the subconscious, fill them with energy and evoke individual associations for each viewerPatrick Tulloch – Patrick produces architectural landscapes in vibrant colour and elaborate line work, celebrating the beauty and atmosphere of amazing places at home and around the world.Phil West – Phil has been inspired by nature since childhood child, and has always admired Frida Kahlo’s portraits and colourful paintings of Mexico’s wildlife.Pinky Vision – His practice is about positivity and inclusiveness, and he has exhibited art in the UK, Europe, USA, Japan and China.Rachael and Phillippa Corcutt – Rachel and Phillipa are illustrators and twin sisters who work together as an illustration collective.Reilly Creative – Reilly Creative are an artistic duo consisting of husband and wife team Kieron and Lynsey ReillyRuss Iden – Russ is known for his bold, colourful designs and mural artwork – which can be found across Sussex – and his bespoke tea towels.Serena Sussex – Serena Sussex award winning Brighton artistShilpi Sharma – Shilpi Sharma is a Cheltenham based visual artist with a background in art and design.Simon Higlett and Richard NutbourneTim Sutcliffe – Bristol based artist, Tim Sutcliffe is an illustrator and designer and has worked in a range of different styles and media

Owls fly the nest

Q: Schools and community groups

Chichester Free SchoolArundel Church of England Primary SchoolGreat BallardGirlguiding Sussex West CountyBishop LuffaBoxgrove C of E Primary SchoolChichester Netball ClubSt Mary’s Primary School, HorshamMotiv8 Havant TeamMotiv8 Portsmouth TeamMotiv8 Gosport and Fareham TeamSt Anthony’s Secondary SchoolSt Anthony’s Primary SchoolWest Dean CE Primary SchoolChichester High SchoolSt Philip Howard Catholic SchoolPumpkin Patch Nursery, Crescent RoadOakwood Prep SchoolPumpkin Patch Nursery, SteyningWindlesham House SchoolChestnut Tree House ChildrenGarden Cottage Nursery SchoolSt Philip’s Catholic Primary SchooFriends of Chestnut Tree House – Bognor GroupRubix VT X Pinky VisionWestbourne HouseLyminster Primary SchoolFairytale Forest NurserySt Barnabas House Hospice – Art Room

Published on: 26/09/2024

In 2024 The Big Hoot took place in Chichester and Arundel, raising funds for Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice. The trail, staged in collaboration with Wild in Art, saw 30 6ft owl scuptures nested around Arundel high street and Chichester city centre. The event raised money and awareness for Chestnut Tree House as it celebrated its 21^st year and attracted thousands of visitors to West Sussex from all over the UK.

Thank you to everyone involved

We couldn't have done it without the amazing support from our 23 incredible sponsors, 29 talented artists, 31 fantastic schools and community groups!

Amy Bourbon – Amy is a fine artist specialising in painting and drawing, specifically large-scale oil painting.
Art + Believe – Art+Believe is an artist duo from Brighton. Their artwork is bold, bright, geometric and colourful, taking inspiration different cultures.
Ben Cavanagh – Ben describes his art style as bold, colourful, and something that both children and adults would enjoy
David Cutts – David specialises in photorealistic drawings and is influenced by advertising images, film trailers and cartoons.
Danielle Brooks – Taking inspiration from interiors, travel and nature, she brings warmth and energy to her work through her bold use of colour.
Donna Newman – She is a self-proclaimed addict of public art trails and has worked closely with Wild in Art on more than 100 sculpture commissions.
Emma Everitt – Emma likes using bold, bright colours with black outlining to make the colours pop even more. Her paintings are often inspired by the colours and sounds of nature
Hermarnie Maurri – Her work is a whimsical combination of adorable characters, intricate details, and magical settings, and she is very much inspired by nature and the natural world.
Jina Gelder – Jina Gelder is a wildlife artist from the North East who primarily works in ink and watercolours.
Jordan Explorer – Inspired by the worlds of themed entertainment and theatrical design, Jordan seeks to find visual solutions that communicate effectively in new and exciting ways.
Judith Berrill – Judith is a painter, illustrator and theatre set designer based in Hove.
Kerry Caffyn – Kerry is an artist who’s worked on a broad array of projects – from soft furnishing designs to costume making!
Lottie Hickford – Lottie Hickford is a Sussex based artist who studied Illustration and is inspired by the natural world.
Lucy Hebden – Lucy Hebden is a surface pattern and printed textile designer, her work is inspired by the natural world and always starts with hand painted motifs.
Mark Oliver – Mark is an award-winning illustrator and highly innovative artist, with a strong pedigree of museum and art gallery exhibitions.
Marta Zubieta – She is inspired by cartoons, sci-fi, pop culture and folklore and enjoys helping brands and individuals to talk to their audience with a touch of humour and surrealism.
Mik Richardson – Mik’s art is inspired by his love of sci-fi, as well as personal and professional projects he also runs graffiti workshops for young people.
MrASingh – Amrit Singh is a multi-award winning contemporary artist who creates textured mixed media artworks fusing nature and global cultures.
Oleksandr Koltsov – His work combines symbols, encrypted elements and visual effects that influence the subconscious, fill them with energy and evoke individual associations for each viewer
Patrick Tulloch – Patrick produces architectural landscapes in vibrant colour and elaborate line work, celebrating the beauty and atmosphere of amazing places at home and around the world.
Phil West – Phil has been inspired by nature since childhood child, and has always admired Frida Kahlo’s portraits and colourful paintings of Mexico’s wildlife.
Pinky Vision – His practice is about positivity and inclusiveness, and he has exhibited art in the UK, Europe, USA, Japan and China.
Rachael and Phillippa Corcutt – Rachel and Phillipa are illustrators and twin sisters who work together as an illustration collective.
Reilly Creative – Reilly Creative are an artistic duo consisting of husband and wife team Kieron and Lynsey Reilly
Russ Iden – Russ is known for his bold, colourful designs and mural artwork – which can be found across Sussex – and his bespoke tea towels.
Serena Sussex – Serena Sussex award winning Brighton artist
Shilpi Sharma – Shilpi Sharma is a Cheltenham based visual artist with a background in art and design.
Simon Higlett and Richard Nutbourne
Tim Sutcliffe – Bristol based artist, Tim Sutcliffe is an illustrator and designer and has worked in a range of different styles and media

Why Owls?

“When it came to choosing a theme for the trail, we wanted something that resonated with Chestnut Tree House and our families,”

“We know how much everyone loves the Woodland Walk at the hospice, so a woodland animal or bird felt like the perfect choice. Coupled with this, one of our families recently told us that they felt our care team had taken them under their wing, which made the decision for us – a woodland bird, an owl.”

- Amanda Fadero, CEO

Check out “owl” the fun we had in summer 2024

Throughout July and August, 30 uniquely decorated owl sculptures stood in public spaces around Chichester and Arundel.

The big hoot montage of images from the trail

The trail was also accompanied by some fantastic owl-themed events, including Hoot on the Green – put on by Chichester BID, a fantastic family-friendly farewell event as well as a paint and prosecco evening!

Video from the Farewell Event

Thank you to everyone for getting involved!

Almost 6,000 of you downloaded our Big Hoot App, voted for your favourite owl, and picked up some amazing rewards on the way. Between you all, you clocked up a whopping 23,903,766 steps!!

From selfies with your favourite owl to pics of pooches and groups of owl-hunters, you all kindly shared your magical memories of the trail with us too on social media.

Another 30 smaller owls took up residence in local shops and businesses

The Little Hoot ran in parallel with the main art trail and allowed schools and groups to participate in this major cultural event for the area by decorating their own owls and raising funds for their local children’s hospice. We also welcomed local groups of school children to the hospice to learn about Chestnut Tree House, and they even got to meet some real-live owls too!

Find out about the learner programme

An event for everyone!

The trail was an accessible and fun day for everyone. Children from Chestnut Tree House took to the streets of Chichester to do some owl-spotting (top left), we had a fabulous bus-tour of Chichester and Arundel for our sponsors (top right), Chestnut Tree House Charity shops went owl-themed (bottom left) and a handful of children we support at Chestnut Tree House decorated their own owl!

Thank you for getting involved!

A huge ‘thank you’ to ALL the amazing fundraising that you got involved with over the summer for the Big Hoot! Everyone who fundraised over £21 for hospice care and collected all 30 large owls were rewarded with a shiny owl medal, and we had so many fantastic fundraisers that went above and beyond for their prize, including a creative running team who devised a special route around Arundel to visit each owl on an evening jog!

The Big Hoot JustGiving page

The auction

The event culminated in an online auction on 19 September, with hundreds of people joining to place their bids for their favourite owls. Bidding started at £500, with Night Owl by Jina Gelder Illustration selling first for £3,500. The owl – who spent the summer at Swanbourne Lake, Arundel – was sponsored by Worthing business Travel Places. Jina is a wildlife artist from the North East whose design was inspired by her love of exploring the outdoors with her family.

- Becki Jupp, Chief Operating Officer

The Big Hoot in numbers

150k

of fundraising reached!

5.8k

people who downloaded the app

130k

times the sculptures were 'collected'

Thank you graphic with yellow love heart

The impact The Big Hoot has made

All the money raised will help us support local children with life-limiting conditions and their families.

Almost £6 million is needed every year to provide hospice care for local children and their families. Very little of this comes from the government and the rest comes from the amazing money raised by people just like you!

The impact your donation makes

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