An Arts University Bournemouth student has been selected to design one of BH Live’s sponsored tail sculptures a part of Julia’s House Children’s Hospice ‘The Great Tail Trail’.
The Great Tail Trail will see more than 40 giant and 60 medium-sized mermaid tail sculptures located across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole in a FREE eight-week event between 5 April and 1 June 2025. BH Live was announced as the Great Tail Trail’s official Community Partner earlier this year. The charity will be accommodating multiple tails at its leisure centres and venues including Bournemouth International Centre, BH Live Active Littledown, and Pelhams.
Organised by Julia’s House in partnership with Wild in Art, each sculpture will be sponsored by a local business, community group or individual to raise vital funds for Julia’s House, a Dorset and Wiltshire-based children’s hospice charity that provides clinical, practical and emotional support for families caring for a child with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition.
About BH Live’s chosen artist
Selected from more than 20 designs, AUB student Beck O’Hara’s community-inspired large tail sculpture will take centre stage at BH Live Active, Littledown when the trail launches next spring. As part of the event, visitors to the sculpture will be able to find out more about the region’s flagship leisure centre and collect and redeem an exclusive reward (more information coming soon).
BH Live sat down with Beck to find out more about her artistic background and inspiration for the design:
How does it feel to have your design selected by BH Live?
“Exciting! I’m glad the design resonated with BH Live’s values. It’s been great to have an opportunity to work on a large canvas. For this project, I planned my design on paper and digitally before finally painting the sculpture with emulsion paint.”
What is your artistic background?
“I’m an illustrator studying at Arts University Bournemouth. Whilst I mostly draw digitally or on paper, I have experience in portraiture and painting which has helped with this project immensely!”
What inspired you to create your design?
“I drew inspiration from my own experiences with BH Live, such as visiting their pools and enjoying great music events at Bournemouth International Centre (BIC). Overall, I aimed to create a welcoming colourful design that celebrates community and activity.”
Why did you want to get involved with The Great Tail Trail?
“I was eager to be involved with this great cause to help fundraise for Julia’s House.”
What makes a great artist?
“I think there are lots of ways to be a great artist. I am inspired by artists who find a practise that works for them, which also uplifts others in the process. I also admire artists who have a strong point of view – just by looking at their work you can sense a glimpse of their personality or perspective.
BH Live Active, Littledown is operated by registered charity and social enterprise BH Live in partnership with BCP Council.
On behalf of BH Live, Rob Cunningham, Director of Leisure and Business Development shared;
“We were so impressed with all of the talent and skills in the design submissions from AUB students. Ultimately, Beck’s concept really resonated with us and showed a great understanding of our charitable aims, values, and the work that we do to make our communities better places to live, work, learn, visit, and play. We hope everyone loves the sculpture as much as we do – we can’t wait to unveil it at Littledown next year.”
Laura Maidment, Public Fundraising Manager for Julia’s House shared;
“We’re thrilled that Beck, AUB and BH Live are having this incredible and unique opportunity to work together. The Great Tail Trail is all about bringing the community together for a project that will have huge significance and benefits to local families with seriously ill children. We think everyone will really enjoy viewing Beck’s incredible design for BH Live when the trail opens to the public on 5 April next year.”
For more information about Littledown, visit bhliveactive.org.uk/littledown
For more information about Julia’s House and The Great Tail Trail, visit juliashouse.org.uk/tail-trail
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors:
For more information about BH Live please contact:
Daisy Saunders, PR & Communications Executive
E: press.office@bhlive.org.uk
For more information about Julia’s House and ‘The Great Tail Trail’ please contact:
Susie Carver, Media and Communications Officer
E: susie.carver@juliashouse.org
About BH Live
Champions of community engagement, health and wellness across Dorset, Hampshire, and London
BH Live, a registered charity and social enterprise, is a leading operator of sports and leisure centres, theatres, and event venues. Our vision is to create sustainable and inspiring opportunities, deliver great experiences for our communities, and improve health and well-being.
With a strong commitment to accessibility and community engagement, BH Live continues to enhance the quality of people’s lives, health and wellbeing in the communities it serves.
BH Live was established in 2010. Local authority partners include BCP Council, Portsmouth City Council and Croydon Council.
We are at the heart of the UK’s growing social economy. Together with our partners we are helping to change lives and make a positive impact in the community.
For more visit bhlive.org.uk.
Get social with us: LinkedIn, X – @BHLIVE_UK | Facebook @SocialEnterpriseBHLive | Instagram @bhliveuk
BH Live is a leisure and cultural trust, established in 2010 as a ‘non profit distributing organisation’ (NPDO) for public benefit to promote participation in leisure and cultural events. BH Live is a Company Limited by Guarantee and Registered Charity. Charity No: 1138311. Company No: 07092112. VAT Reg No: 108 2248 37. BH Live (Enterprises) Ltd, is a Private Company Limited by Shares and a wholly owned subsidiary of BH Live. Company No: 07175626. VAT Reg No: 108 2248 37. Registered Office: Bournemouth International Centre, Exeter Road, Bournemouth, BH2 5BH. Registered in England and Wales.
About BH Live
BH Live is a leading operator of leisure and event venues – a registered charity and social enterprise.
Our vision is to create sustainable and inspiring opportunities, deliver great experiences for our communities, and improve health and well-being.
Our organisational and charitable purpose is to generate:
- More participation – through the provision of leisure facilities to encourage active communities, improved health, and well-being
- Higher audiences – through the provision of a diverse range of cultural and artistic events that appeal to a wide audience
- Greater economic and social benefit – through hosting major conferences, exhibitions, and events for the benefit of the local, regional, and international economies and people
Working with support from our partners we pursue our social objectives in a financially sustainable way.
We manage a diverse portfolio of venues and facilities, with millions of visits per year. Our geographical reach spans across 15 venues and attractions across the Bournemouth (BCP) and Portsmouth conurbations, together with Fairfield Halls in Croydon.
We operate in various market sectors, including sport and leisure, entertainment, conferences and exhibitions, hospitality, and catering services. Whilst each has its market focus, they have much in common and much to share.
Charitable activities are delivered by BH Live, with trading activities being delivered by BH Live Enterprises Limited (any surplus made by the trading subsidiary is gift aided in full to the charity).
We are at the heart of the UK’s growing social economy. Together with our partners we are helping to change lives and make a positive impact in the community.
For more visit bhlive.org.uk.
Get social with us: LinkedIn and X @BHLIVE_UK | Facebook @SocialEnterpriseBHLive | Instagram @bhliveuk
BH Live is a leisure and cultural trust, established in 2010 as a ‘non profit distributing organisation’ (NPDO) for public benefit to promote participation in leisure and cultural events. BH Live is a Company Limited by Guarantee and Registered Charity. Charity No: 1138311. Company No: 07092112. VAT Reg No: 108 2248 37. BH Live (Enterprises) Ltd, is a Private Company Limited by Shares and a wholly owned subsidiary of BH Live. Company No: 07175626. VAT Reg No: 108 2248 37. Registered Office: Bournemouth International Centre, Exeter Road, Bournemouth, BH2 5BH. Registered in England and Wales.
About Julia’s House
Julia’s House is the local charity dedicated to supporting the families of children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions in the heart of the community in Dorset and Wiltshire. Many of these children require round-the-clock care, which has a huge impact on family life.
Julia’s House provides specialist care that’s individualised for each family and includes care for the seriously ill child, family support, emergency and end of life care. Parents can choose when, where and how they receive this support – at home, in the community or at one of the charity’s two hospices in Corfe Mullen and Devizes – making it a truly flexible service. Julia’s House is there for the whole family, not just the sick child, providing emotional support and social opportunities too for parents, grandparents and siblings to help break the cycle of anxiety and isolation that can lead a family to breaking point.
This regular clinical care, respite, practical and emotional support, plus emergency end of life care and bereavement support is provided completely free to families, thanks to the generosity of the local community. Julia’s House relies on public donations, fundraising and legacies for around 92% of the money needed to keep running its vital service in Dorset and Wiltshire.
Julia’s House children’s hospice cares for nearly 200 families across Dorset and Wiltshire. Currently nearly 80% of the children supported by Julia’s House need two care team members present during their community sessions due to the complexity of their condition. And as more life-limited children are living for longer and with increasingly more complex care needs, demand for the specialist care that Julia’s House provides is expected to rise in the coming years.
The service that Julia’s House provides has been rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission.
Julia’s House was named the UK’s ‘Best Charity to Work For’ at the Best Companies Awards in November 2023, and achieved a ranking of 14, its highest ever, in the national companies to work for category. Julia’s House has maintained its position in the Top 100 for the last fifteen years.
juliashouse.org | @juliashousechildrenshopsice | #juliashouse
About Wild In Art
Wild in Art is the leading producer of spectacular public art events that entertain, enrich, inform and leave a lasting legacy. It brings together businesses and creative sectors with schools and local communities through the creation of uniquely painted sculptures.
Since 2008 Wild in Art has animated cities across the world including Manchester, Sydney, Auckland, Cape Town and São Paulo, and created trails for the London 2012 Olympics, the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Historic Royal Palaces and Penguin Random House.
Wild in Art events have:
- Enabled over £26.3m to be raised for charitable causes
- Injected £4.3m into local creative communities
- Engaged over 1.25 million young people in learning programmes
- Helped millions of people of all ages to experience art in non-traditional settings
wildinart.co.uk | @wildinart | #wildinart
About Littledown Centre
Littledown is operated by the registered charity BH Live in partnership with BCP Council.
Set in 47 acres of parkland, Littledown has some of the finest leisure, swimming, football and gym facilities in the country.
It is ranked among the top performing leisure centres in the UK, is accredited by quality scheme QUEST and is a National Fitness Award winner for the Local Authority/Leisure Trust Gym of the Year and finalist for the Best Group Exercise Gym of the Year.
It has more than 1.2 million attendances a year and is home to clubs including BH Live’s Swimming Academy, Swim Bournemouth, Littledown Juniors Football Club and Play Football. Indoor facilities include 25-metre and 17-metre swimming pools for lane swimming, public swimming sessions, pool-based classes and lessons. There is also a splash pool, steam room and sauna.
The venue has one of the largest gyms in the region complete with activity programmes for young people, and support for people recovering from an illness, injury or who are living with a long-term health condition. There are multiple training zones with ground level and lift access. There is something to suit every activity preference and level of fitness with cardio equipment, free weights and functional fitness training space. Hundreds of group exercise classes run seven days a week such as Group Cycle sessions, circuits, yoga, Pilates, HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) and Les Mills™ classes including BodyBalance, BodyPump, BodyCombat, BodyAttack, Sprint and more.
There is a large sports hall for events and multi-sport activities including trampolining, badminton, table tennis, football and gymnastics. Open to members and non members is Littledown’s Terrace Café (with soft play for under 5s) and Lookout at Littledown Bar (18+ only), each with free customer WiFi. Here you can buy all sorts of snacks, meals and drinks to enjoy indoors or outdoors for al fresco refueling, eating, drinking and socialising.
Outdoor features include six floodlit 3G rubber crumb training pitches, grass football pitches, parkland for recreation and events, a cricket pitch and pavilion, lake, children’s playground, a paddling pool (open summer months only), outdoor catering and free customer parking for up to three hours seven days a week. Littledown Park is also home to Littledown Miniature Railway.
ANPR is in operation at BH Live Active, Littledown. Customers get free customer parking for up to 3 hours seven days a week. Charges apply for longer stays.
For more visit bhliveactive.org.uk/littledown
Get social with us: X and Instagram @bhliveactive | Facebook @littledowncentre