Frequently asked questions

More than 40 colourful giant mermaid tail sculptures are creating a wave of excitement across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) from 5 April – 1 June 2025 and raising vital funds for the Dorset children’s hospice charity, Julia’s House. 

Each of the sculptures has been uniquely designed by artists both local and international and sponsored by a local business or organisation. 

Schools, nurseries, community and youth groups are joining in the fun too and have designed their very own smaller Tiny Tail sculpture, which will be featured in Julia’s House charity shops, libraries and leisure facilities across BCP.

The Great Tail Trail is running for 8 weeks from 5 April to 1 June 2025.  It is a free family-friendly walking trail through popular locations across BCP with mermaid tail sculptures located along the coast and in the towns and parks, shining a light on the landmarks and culture that are at the heart of our beautiful area.

As well as encouraging local residents to re-discover the towns they love, the fin-tastic public art spectacle is expected to attract thousands of visitors from outside the area, providing a welcome boost for local businesses and raising the profile of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

The Great Tail Trail ends with a Farewell Weekend from 14-15 June 2025, which brings all of the giant and Tiny Tail sculptures together under one roof at the Bournemouth International Centre for the very last time.  The one-off artist-designed giant sculptures will then be sold at a Grand Auction at The Italian Villa on Friday 20 June to raise vital funds for Julia’s House, which relies on public funding to provide its specialist care and support to local children with life-limiting conditions and their families.

Find out more at www.greattailtrail.co.uk

There will be 45 giant mermaid tail sculptures designed by local, national and international artists and 43 smaller Tiny Tails, which are being designed by local schools and community groups. 

No – the trail is entirely free to enjoy!

The whole trail is approx. 33 miles long.   You can visit the trail as often as you want, so you may want to visit a few sculptures at a time although of course if you want to walk, run or cycle the whole trail, that’s absolutely fine too!  It’s really up to you how you plan your route and The Great Tail Trail app can help you do this.

We chose mermaid tails as they reflect the very special Mermaid Suite at our Dorset hospice in Corfe Mullen, where families can spend time when their child is at the end of their life. In the Mermaid Suite we provide round the clock clinical care, a listening ear and emotional support for parents and dedicated time for brothers and sisters, so that families can make their most of their final days together. 

The mermaid tails are unmistakable and individual, just like our care – especially tailored to the needs of each child and their family.

The giant mermaid tails will be located in popular locations across BCP – along the coast and in the towns, parks and public spaces where people will be able to walk around the free, family-friendly trail. 

The Great Tail Trail app has all the locations of the sculptures and can be downloaded from The Great Tail Trail website, App Store and Google Play. It costs £1.99 with proceeds going to Julia’s House. 

The app enables you to collect sculptures, track your progress, unlock some mer-mazing rewards, vote for your favourite mermaid tail and upload all your fin-tastic photos with the sculptures. 

A Great Tail Trail map is also available to help guide you around the trail.  You can pick up a map at any Julia’s House charity shop (subject to availability). Maps are also available at BH Live Active leisure facilities at Littledown, Pelhams and Sir David English and Bournemouth Highcliff Marriot Hotel.

A full list of sculpture locations is available on our website at www.greattailtrail.co.uk/sculptures

Our mermaid tails are a little fragile, so please do not climb, sit on or touch the sculptures. But we’d love you to pose for a photo or selfie, which you can upload on each individual mermaid tail’s page on The Great Tail Trail app. 

We’d love you to take photographs of your favourite giant mermaid tails and Tiny Tails.  Use The Great Tail Trail app to share your photos and selfies in the gallery. And, don’t forget to tag us if you share any photos on your social media @greattailtrail.

Please report any damage to ‪07359 495753 via Whats App.  There is also a QR code you can scan on each giant mermaid tail sculpture.

The app is available from the App Store and Google Play closer to launch and there is also a download link on The Great Tail Trail website at www.greattailtrail.co.uk/app

The app costs £1.99 with proceeds going to support Julia’s House.  The app is the best guide to the trail:

• Maps and locations
• Find out all about the sculptures, artists and sponsors
• Track your progress around the trail
• Unlock fin-tastic rewards (app codes on all the sculptures)
• Vote for your favourite sculpture
• Count how many steps you’ve walked
• Share your selfies

Download at www.greattailtrail.co.uk/app

If you have any problems with the app, get in touch with the app team at www.greattailtrail.co.uk/apphelp

The maps will be available from the following venues (subject to availability):

All Julia’s House charity shops (subject to availability).

 

BH Live Active centres:

Littledown (open Mon-Fri 6am-10pm; Sat-Sun 8am-6pm)

Sir David English (open Mon-Sun 9am-5pm)

Pelhams (open Mon-Sun 8am-7pm) 

Bournemouth Highcliff Marriot Hotel (Mon-Sun 8am-8pm)

Julia’s House charity shops at Poole, Creekmoor, Christchurch, Wallisdown, Westbourne and Weymouth will be selling wonderful sea-themed goodies and you might spot a pre-loved bargain you can’t do without too! Full details are on The Great Tail Trail app and website at www.greattailtrail.co.uk/goodies  Available from 5 April.

Our shops at Creekmoor, Wallisdown, Westbourne and Creekmoor will also have some Tiny Tails on display too.

There is no specific start or end point to the trail. Use the app or map to plan the best route for you. 

Yes, the trail is fully accessible. 

The Great Tail Trail ends with a Farewell Weekend from 14-15 June 2025, which brings all of the giant and Tiny Tail sculptures together under one roof at the Bournemouth International Centre for the very last time.   It’s going to be a fun family weekend with entertainment and performers.  Don’t miss out.  Book your tickets here www.greattailtrail.co.uk/farewell 

Race Across the Trail is an exciting team challenge for businesses involving teams snapping as many selfies with the mermaid tail sculptures as they can. Is your company up for the challenge?  Places are limited.  Find out more and sign up here www.greattailtrail.co.uk/race

You will be able to bid for your favourite mermaid tail sculpture at a Grand Auction to be held at 6-11.30pm on 20 June at The Italian Villa, Compton Acres.  It will be your chance to own a unique, bold and beautiful artwork.   Tickets are available to book here www.greattailtrail.co.uk/auction and you can also bid online from the comfort of your own home!

The auction will raise vital funds for Julia’s House, which relies on public funding to provide its specialist care and support to local children with life-limiting conditions and their families.

The Great Tail Trail is brought to BCP by Julia’s House and Wild in Art, the leading producer of spectacular public art events. Wild in Art trails can be found across the UK and worldwide, bringing communities together and leaving a lasting legacy. Julia’s House and Wild in Art have collaborated on art trails previously, in 2011 with the Pride in Bournemouth lion trail and in Swindon last year with The Big Dog Art Trail, both of which raised awareness and funds for the children’s hospice charity.

As Dorset’s local children’s hospice charity, Julia’s House cares for the most seriously ill children in the county, many of whom need 24-hour care for their complex and often rare medical conditions. 

 You can find out more about Julia’s House at www.juliashouse.org and Wild in Art at www.wildinart.co.uk

Forty-five local companies large and small have sponsored sculptures – here’s a link to all our amazing trail partners and sponsors Sponsors | Julia's House. 

Over 40 artists have also been involved creating unique, bold and beautiful designs for each of the sculptures.  Find out who here  Artists | Julia's House

Over 40 local schools, youth and community groups have joined the Learning Programme and created their very own Tiny Tail sculptures which are featured throughout the trail.

A full list if who is involved is on our website at www.greattailtrail.co.uk and you will also find all the information on our sponsors, artists, school, youth and community groups on The Great Tail Trail app.

Julia’s House receives just eight per cent ongoing funding from the Government, so we rely on public support and donations to continue to provide our critical care to the most seriously ill children and their families in the local community.  Without that support we wouldn’t exist. 

Our costs are increasing along with the demand for our care with more children being born and living longer with rare and complex medical conditions, so each year we need to raise more money to ensure we can be there for every family that needs us.   

While we are currently still able to maintain our care service, over the next few years we do need to significantly increase our income to meet the continuing increase in our care costs. 

The Great Tail Trail will help us raise critical funds and reach people and businesses who don’t know about the vital care we provide in the local community. 

For more information visit www.juliashouse.org

You can donate to Julia’s House here www.greattailtrail.co.uk/donate or scan the QR code on the sculptures. Or, just use one of the tap to donate stations available at certain points on the trail.  Thank you for your support!

There are lots of other ways to support Julia’s House too. You can join up to play the Julia’s House lottery, sign up for one of our events, become a volunteer or do your own fundraising.  You could even leave us a legacy in your Will, which costs you nothing right now – legacies help support one in four of the children we care for.  All the information you need is on the website www.juliashouse.org 

It’s going to bring an exciting and visually engaging family-friendly event to BCP.  The must-see trail will help shine a light on the popular landmarks which are at the heart of the area. It will showcase BCP as a fun, vibrant and cultural area, while giving the towns an economic boost from the thousands of additional visitors who will be coming just to see the trail.

In 2023, 23,000 people participated in our Big Dog Art Trail in Swindon. 

5 April – 1 June 2025                 The Great Tail Trail is live around BCP for 8 weeks

14-15 June 2025                              Farewell event at the BIC with all the mermaid tails in one place 

20 June                                              Giant sculptures are auctioned to raise vital funds for Julia’s House

Visit www.greattailtrail.co.uk or follow us on Facebook and Instagram @greattailtrail

Yes! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @greattailtrail.  Make sure you tag us in your photos and use the hashtag #greattailtrail, we’d love to see them!

You can find information here:

Welcome to BCP Council | BCP

Bournemouth - Your Official Bournemouth Guide

Poole Tourism - Official Poole Tourist Information

Christchurch - The Official Christchurch Guide

You can find information on bus routes from our sponsor, More Bus:

morebus - Your friendly local bus operator, providing links across Bournemouth, Poole, Ringwood, Blandford, Wimborne and Swanage