Where the owls have landed

Published on: 07/04/2025

Last summer, a parliament of owls swooped into Chichester and Arundel. Their mission? To raise funds and awareness for Chestnut Tree House, the children’s hospice for Sussex and South East Hampshire.

Thirty large owl sculptures nested in public green spaces, Chichester high street and harbour, and Arundel’s historic town centre during the summer holidays, providing a fun day out for the entire family. Thirty more little owls went on display in cafes and indoor venues around the two locations.

When the Big Hoot ended in September, the owls were auctioned off to raise funds for Chestnut Tree House, with all profits from the trail helping support children with life-limiting conditions and their families. Altogether, the trail raised more than £213,000 for local children’s hospice care.

We thought it would be fun to find out where some of the owls went next – and while many of them are standing guard over their new owners’ gardens, others have found themselves in customer-facing roles!

Owl you need is Love

Artist Emma Everitt’s Owl You Need is Love, which originally perched outside Arundel Museum, now welcomes visitors to Shoreham Vehicle Auction – and even got dressed up for Halloween.

A Wise Owl Reads Many Books

By Danielle Brooks.

This owl stood resplendent at Chichester Library during the trail. A teacher from St Mary’s School in Pulborough bought the sculpture, where it now lives, encouraging children to read more.

Búho

By Art+Believe.

Búho now lives at the national office of Guardian Angel Carers in Apuldram, where he’s “loved by all the team.” A guardian angel to the guardian angels, if you will.

Owl See You on the Golf Course

Amy Bourbon’s design (affectionately known as Caddie) was able to stay in his home of Mill Road Putting Green and Café in Arundel, thanks to the generous gift of Paul and Annette Jones who are long-standing supporters of Chestnut Tree House.

Twitchester Twoo

Meanwhile, Twitchester Twoo by Serena Sussex is bringing joy to staff at a number of businesses just outside Chichester who all contributed to her purchase. Those generous buyers are Paw Paddock Ltd, Hugh and Gavin Brown, Collaborate Global Ltd, Mark Shepherd Acupuncture, Chichester Crop Consultancy, New Square Property Ltd, West Sussex Plastics and Rory Low.

Frida Kahowl

Many of you told us how much you loved Frida Kahowl, who was created by artist Phil West. New owner Andrew Smales had two very special reasons to buy her. In the very early days of Chestnut Tree House, the former pilot captained a pleasure flight to Strasbourg for some of the children and their carers, and told us: “It will be forever a day etched in my memory!”  

Andrew particularly admires Frida Kahlo’s art and hopes to see it in person while visiting his son, a diplomat based in Mexico City. He said: “Thank you, Chestnut, and Phil West for the beautiful Frida – we will enjoy her, look after her and she will always bring a smile to our faces.”