A major public arts trail has launched a hunt for artists to design life-sized animal sculptures in the name of charity.

The Big Stampede, a free art trail, plans to display 60 life-sized safari sculptures around Hamilton during a three-month event next summer.

The group are looking for well-known and undiscovered artists to create designs including elephants, lions, gorillas and rhinos with selected artists given £850 upon completion of their artwork.

The finished sculptures will then be auctioned off to raise valuable funds for Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity.

Gareth Walker, BID Manager at Hamilton BID, said: “The BIG Stampede will be a fun project for the artists but it is also a great opportunity for them to showcase their work to a mass audience. Each artist selected will have a plaque acknowledging their artwork on their safari animal which is anticipated to be seen by thousands of people.”

Charlie Langhorne, Director, Wild in Art, said: ‘We hope people will be inspired by the challenge of a three-dimensional canvas and by being involved in such an exciting project. We want to encourage local artists to submit designs - this will be a wonderful showcase for artistic talent.”

Young people will also have the opportunity to take part in the action through The BIG Stampede’s educational initiative, which will work with local school pupils creating their own miniature sized hippo sculptures to go on display as part of the trail. 

The BIG Stampede follows proudly in the footsteps of Hamilton BID’s inaugural project with Wild in Art in 2014, which saw 25 giant Clydesdale horses and 30 mini ponies canter into town as part of the Ready Steady Gallop campaign which raised £67,800 for Kilbryde Hospice.

For further information about The BIG Stampede visit www.thebigstampede.co.uk or www.twitter.com/2017BigStampede.

To find out more about the artist opportunities please email artists@hamiltonbid.org