Demelza launches trail in Tunbridge Wells

From July 2025, Trail with a Tale, in collaboration with Wild in Art, will see the Kent town dotted with individually designed sculptures from the classic tale of the tortoise and the hare, decorated by artists, creating a journey of discovery that will be free, family-friendly and open to all.

At the end of the initiative, the sculptures will be auctioned off, raising much-needed funds for Demelza.

Hayley Richardson, Deputy Chief Executive at Demelza, said:

“This is a new direction for Demelza and we are excited to be working with Wild in Art, bringing something new and family-friendly to Tunbridge Wells. As well as raising awareness of the services we offer to children with serious or life-limiting conditions in the local area, this initiative will generate income to support families to celebrate the joy in life, making precious memories during challenging times”.

At the reception, local artist Elaine Gill unveiled her design for the initial hare to assembled guests, including the Mayor of Tunbridge Wells, Creative Partner Catch a Fire Agency and Logistics Partner Octavius Infrastructure, amongst other supporters.

When the trail is over the sculptures will be auctioned to raise vital funds for Demelza, enabling us to continue to provide extraordinary care for extraordinary children with serious or life-limiting conditions, and their families. There will also be plenty of opportunities for local schools, organisations and the community as a whole to get involved as the project comes together to culminate in a stunning art trail next summer. 

Based in Reigate, Octavius Infrastructure are a civil engineering company which specialises in infrastructure. They are the Logistics Partner for this project and will be managing the installation of the artwork for Demelza.

Jamie Harrison, Octavius' Highways Delivery Director said:

“We are delighted to be able to support Demelza in the amazing work that they do. I have personally visited Demelza in Kent and it is clear to me that they passionately care about the families and children that they help, by providing a place and the support for those that need it the most and during the most difficult of times. At Octavius, we are also passionate about supporting people and organisations in the places that we work in, so we are delighted to be the logistics partner for the Wild In Art project and deliver lasting benefit to the local community. Everyone at Octavius is proud and excited to be involved, and deliver sustainable sourcing solutions to provide the sculpture bases”.

Charlie Langhorne, Managing Director and Co-founder, Wild in Art said:

“We are delighted to be teaming up with Demelza on this exciting sculpture trail. Our events are designed to bring the enjoyment of public art to everyone while offering new ways for people to explore their local area and we hope that, through the trail, we can inspire businesses, the creative sector and the wider community to come together to create something very special which will have significant impact.”