News | The bees buzzed in Manchester. The elephants paraded through Sheffield. The rockets landed in Leicester. And now…something amazing is coming to Kirklees.

The Kirkwood are delighted to officially announce the launch of an exciting public art trail in Autumn 2022! A free event for the whole of our community to enjoy, the spectacular showcase of creative talent will be put on display across Kirklees, forming an interactive Art Trail never before seen here in Kirklees

The project will see The Kirkwood, the charity which provides care and support for anyone affected by a life limiting illness in Kirklees, team up with event experts Wild in Art, who have been delivering world class public events across the globe for over ten years.

To celebrate the care that is available to patients in their own homes and care homes in every street, village and town, 30 uniquely designed sculptures (and 30 mini sculptures) will create an interactive trail across Kirklees. Lasting for eight weeks, the amazing installations will pop up in towns and villages throughout our region for everyone to explore and discover. The free public event is set to benefit the whole community, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to join in the fun.

And the free public event is set to benefit the whole community, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to take part in the trail, bringing economic and social benefits to the entire region.

Successful Art Trails in Manchester, Plymouth and the North East saw huge benefits for the local economy in the past few years. An Art Trail delivered in Newcastle and surrounding areas brought in over 650,000 visitors, whilst Manchester’s Bee in the City trail provided and economic boost of over £10million.

Each bespoke sculpture will be based on one exciting theme, which is being kept firmly under wraps for the time being. But you don’t have too long to wait to find out. All is set to be revealed at our official launch event on Tuesday 5th October.

Kathryn Box from The Kirkwood said: “We are absolutely delighted to be launching our 2022 Art Trail. Whilst we are keeping some details under our hats for now, we hope people will be just as excited as we are that such an exciting, world class, free public event will be coming to our local area.

The Art Trail will celebrate our rich history and shared culture, encourage people to rediscover vibrant urban spaces and spend time outdoors, and show off the creativity that our towns and villages have to offer.”

As well as creating an event that gets people excited, 2022’s Art Trail also offers The Kirkwood the platform to raise awareness about their services, and to reach more people who may benefit from the charity’s services but aren’t aware of the many ways they can help.

Michael Crowther, Chief Executive with The Kirkwood said: “This is an incredibly exciting project. It’s event we know will inspire the whole community and bring people together. And we hope by creating something for everyone to enjoy and share as one community, we will be able to reach more people in need, support more families and careered who don’t know where to turn and create a lasting legacy for our vital local charity.”

As part of the Art Trail, businesses and individuals will be given a unique opportunity to sponsor a sculpture. Schools will also be able to get involved in a whole range of creative learning activities – and they’ll be given the chance to design and adopt their very own mini sculpture.

One the scale and ambition of the project, Kathryn said: “This is the first time anything on this scale has been attempted here in West Yorkshire, which is a real feather in the cap for us here in Kirklees.”

More information is promised soon on this ground-breaking project, which is set to open to the public in Autumn 2022. If you’d like to be involved or are simply interested in finding out more, visit: www.thekirkwood.org.uk/arttrail