Registered charity and venue and leisure operator BH Live has been announced as the official community partner for Julia’s House 2025 ‘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, 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. All sculptures will be sold at the end of the trail at a mer-mazing auction to help fundraise for the charity, which relies on the support of the local community to provide its life-changing care.
Each of the sculptures will feature a unique and eye-catching design created by local artists that will captivate and inspire imagination, as visitors discover some of the best-loved sights and historic landmarks across three towns.
As the official community partner, BH Live will be sponsoring two sculptures, and hosting several of the mermaid tails along the event trail. Visitors will also be able to enjoy all sculptures on display in a final Farewell Weekend event at Bournemouth International Centre (BIC), the South West’s premier conference, exhibition, entertainment and hospitality venue.
Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) is operated by BH Live in partnership with BCP Council.
Jon Workman, CEO of BH Live, said;
“We are delighted to continue our long-standing relationship with Julia’s House as the official community partner for ‘The Great Tail Trail’. Julia’s House is an incredible charity, and this event is a wonderful opportunity to show our support for the outstanding work they do in our local communities.
“We hope visitors have a fantastic time exploring the stunning locations across the BCP region. We look forward to welcoming everyone at the Farewell Weekend at Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) in June 2025.”
Laura Maidment, Public Fundraising Manager at Julia’s House, said:
“We’re so thrilled to have BH Live join The Great Tail Trail as our community partner. It’s going to be a really special relationship for what is going to be one of the biggest events in the local community in 2025 and we’re very grateful for their amazing support.
“This is such an important event for Julia’s House, raising awareness and critical funding for our care for the most vulnerable children and families, not just today but in the future. It’s also going to provide a great boost to the local area and so many people are going to enjoy the trail. Huge thanks to everyone at BH Live for helping us to make this happen!”
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors:
For more information about BH Live please contact:
Daisy Saunders, PR & Communications Executive
E: press.office@bhlive.org.uk
T: (01202) 055629
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
T: 07900 828530
About BH Live
BH Live is a leading operator of leisure and event venues; a registered charity and social enterprise that designs and builds engaging experiences to inspire people and enrich lives.
Our social objectives are to:
- Encourage more people to take part in physical activity– by providing leisure facilities to encourage active communities and improve health and wellbeing.
- Attract bigger entertainment audiences– with a diverse range of cultural and artistic events that appeal to a wide variety of tastes.
- Deliver economic benefit– by hosting major conferences, exhibitions and events that benefit the local, regional and international economy.
With more than five million visits a year we are changing lives and are at the heart of the UK’s growing social economy.
For more visit bhlive.org.uk.
Get social with us:
LinkedIn and X – @BHLIVE_UK
Facebook – @SocialEnterpriseBHLive
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 Bournemouth International Centre
Bournemouth International Centre is operated by BH Live in partnership with BCP Council.
Set in the heart of Bournemouth, with panoramic views across the bay, it is the south coast’s premier conference, exhibition, entertainment, and hospitality venue, with licensed capacity for up to 10,000 visitors. Four main halls and a variety of smaller meeting and hospitality areas can be scaled to host events such as multi-hall conferences, exhibitions, meetings, music concerts, dance and comedy performances.
For more visit bic.co.uk.
Get social with us:
X – @BHLIVE_UK
Facebook – @BournemouthInternationalCentre
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