Press release
SNOWDOG ‘PUPS’ GO ON SALE
ONE of the stars of the Great North Snowdogs trail came face to face with a ‘minime’ as a new pack of ‘Snowpups’ went on sale.
Arthur is among 61 individually designed sculptures which form the trail across North
and South Tyneside, Gateshead, Sunderland and Newcastle, in a fundraising
initiative for St Oswald’s Children’s Hospice.
And the artist behind his design, Jeff Rowland, paid him a special visit to unveil a
miniature replica.
Jeff, whose work is world renowned, named Arthur after his late father who was a
patient at the Hospice.
“The care they gave him during his last days was just amazing,” said Jeff. “He
wouldn’t have got that anywhere else. When he was dying they let me bring in some
whisky and after I’d poured us both a nip, I said, `I think this is last orders, dad’ – and
after we’d had our drink he just slipped away.
“I miss him every day and that’s why I’ll do anything I can to support the Hospice. I
was so happy to be asked to paint a Snowdog – and chuffed to bits to see the little
replica which is perfect in every way.
“It’s a work of art in itself and I’ve had people from across Europe in touch asking
where they can buy them.”
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The small, porcelain version of Arthur is one of seven souvenir Snowdogs which
have gone on sale as a memento of the Great North Snowdogs trail, to raise money
for the Newcastle-based Hospice.
Seven inches long from nose to tail, they come in a presentation box, with hand
knitted socks to cover their ears and other designs include Gizmo, with a contoured
chrome body, floral patterned Winter Lily, Sparky, white, furry, Roodle and the black
Snowbrador.
Fans can also opt for The Snowdog, based on the original design of the character in
the animated film The Snowman and the Snowdog, by Raymond Briggs, with
mismatched socks on sticks for ears, gloves for spots and a discarded tangerine for
a nose.
The miniature Snowdogs form part of a range of Great North Snowdogs
merchandise which also features a soft, plush toy Snowdog, priced at £9.99,
T-shirts, mugs, coasters, aprons and tea towels.
Prices start at £1 for postcards and the porcelain Snowdog figures cost £34.99 each.
Anita Ball, head of income generation and marketing at St Oswald’s Hospice, said
“We are delighted with the response to our merchandise, which has already been
flying off the shelves.
“It seems everyone wants to own their very own part of the trail and the funds raised
are great news for our Children’s Hospice, which will benefit from the proceeds.
“With Christmas quickly coming, we think our Snowdog range would make pawfect
gifts.”
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All merchandise is available to buy online from http://www.stoswaldsuk.org/shop/ or
from St Oswald’s charity shops in Jesmond, Whitley Bay, Eldon Garden Shopping
Centre in Newcastle, Gosforth High Street, Sunderland and St Oswald’s Hospice
main reception. Visit http://www.stoswaldsuk.org/shop/on-the-high-street/ for shop
addresses.
To find out more visit www.greatnorthsnowdogs.co.uk.
Ends
NOTES TO EDITORS
St Oswald’s Hospice provides specialist care for North East adults, young people and children with
incurable conditions. The charity needs to raise over £7 million each year through voluntary giving and
legacies to continue to provide services to the local community. No charge is made to patients for the
services provided, ensuring hospice care is available to all. For more information please visit
www.stoswaldsuk.org
Wild in Art is one of the UK’s leading creative producers of mass-appeal public art events, which
engage residents and tourists alike, through the creation of citywide trails of uniquely painted
sculptures. From crashes of rhinos in Sydney and parliaments of owls in Birmingham to BookBenches
in London and and Commonwealth Games Clyde mascots in Glasgow, Wild in Art events have
animated cities and enthralled people the world over, raising over £6m for charity partners along the
way. Wild in Art also provide unique art education resources which engage and inspire young people
and enhance learning across the curriculum.
The Snowman™ and The Snowdog: Originally published in 1978, The Snowman, created and
illustrated by Raymond Briggs has become one of the world’s most popular children’s books.
Available in 15 languages it has sold in excess of 8.5 million copies worldwide with over 3 million of
these sales in the UK published under Puffin editions. Adapted for screen by producer John Coates,
the Oscar-nominated animation launched on Channel 4 in its inaugural year in 1982 and has been
repeated every Christmas since. The sequel, The Snowman and The Snowdog premiered on
Channel 4 on Christmas Eve 2012 and was seen by over 10 million people over the festive period.
The Snowman brand enjoys an international audience with global broadcast of the sequel, along with
an array of consumer products now available. Snowman Enterprises Limited (SEL) is a Penguin
owned company.
Tyne and Wear Metro is Great North Snowdogs presenting partner. DB Regio Tyne and Wear Ltd
operate Metro stations and trains on behalf of Nexus, under a seven year concession agreement. For
further information please contact Account Manager, Ruth Lawson, or Senior PR Executive, Aranda
Rahbarkouhi at Gardiner Richardson on 0191 261 4250 or email [email protected]
or [email protected]
Nexus owns, manages and is modernising the Tyne and Wear Metro in the £350m Metro All Change
Modernisation programme. For further details please contact David Punton, Communications Officer,
at Nexus on 0191 203 3691 or [email protected].
Snowdogs by the Sea
During September to December 2016, Martlet’s Hospice is also hosting a complementary arts trail,
Snowdogs by the Sea, across Brighton and Hove. For more information, please visit:
www.snowdogsbythesea.co.uk and www.themartlets.org.uk
5 October 2016