News

Tribute to St Edmund as summer wolf trail launched...

Visitors to Bury St Edmunds town centre could find themselves coming face to face with a wolf or two this summer as part of an ambitious art trail project.

The aim is to have a ‘trail’ of life-size or larger wolf sculptures, made by 20 local artists from a variety of different materials, dotted around the town. The wolves will be on display from mid-July through to St Edmunds Day (November 20). The initiative has been made possible thanks to the Business Improvement District (BID) organisation Ourburystedmunds, working with partners from various authorities and initiatives in the town.

The trail has been inspired by similar art trails across the UK, but the organisers are confident that this one won’t simply be copying what others have done. Chief Executive of Ourburystedmunds Mark Cordell said: “Chester has had rhinos, Aberdeen had dolphins and Norwich had gorillas a couple of years ago, which attracted around a million extra visitors to the city. Our wolves will be unique as each one will be individually crafted by an artist, rather than having identical sculptures that are then painted with different designs.

“We’ve chosen the wolf because of its connection to the legend of St Edmund. It will be a natural extension of the wolf sculpture that’s already welcoming many people to the town on the Southgate roundabout.”

Financial support for the project has already been pledged by a number of organisations. Including local councillors who have contributed funds from their locality budget: Sarah Stamp and Mark Ereira-Guyer (Suffolk County Council) and Joanna Rayner and Paul Farmer (St Edmundsbury Borough Council - Abbeygate Ward).

Melanie Lesser, who is helping to co-ordinate the trail, said:  “I’m delighted that the wolf trail is set to become a reality thanks to generous sponsorship from so many different organisations.  It’s wonderful that the town and borough councils are supporting this as well and that four county and borough councillors are all making contributions from their locality budgets.  

“With the Cathedral and arc working in partnership with the BID as well I hope the whole town will benefit from the visitors this exciting project is likely to bring to Bury St Edmunds this summer.”

The wolves will be displayed in public spaces and buildings across the town, with the potential for some to be sited within local businesses.