Creative school children who are taking part in Demelza's summer art trail have taken delivery of their sculptures and are starting to paint them.

Almost 30 schools and groups across the county have signed up to Demelza’s Trail with a Tale art trail, which is coming to Tunbridge Wells this summer.

Demelza is working with Wild in Art to install 10 beautifully illustrated sculptures around the town.

They will be dotted all around Tunbridge Wells to form a free, unique, family-friendly outdoor trail for all ages to enjoy. Alongside each animal sculpture there will be an original tale to read, inspired by the animal and written by local author Alex Brooks.

In addition to the 10 large sculptures, a further 28 smaller animals painted by local school children and community groups will be featured in shops and businesses throughout the town.

An education event took place at One Warwick Place last week, where Wild in Art joined Demelza staff to speak with representatives from the schools and groups who are taking part.

The session gave them the opportunity to hear about the services Demelza offers and learn more about how to design and paint their sculptures.

Experts from Wild in Art shared some top painting tips, information about the best materials to use and how to inspire children to get involved in the trail once it’s in place.

Representatives from schools across the county and from local schools including Bidborough Primary School, Paddock Wood Primary School, Shipbourne School, Speldhurst CEP School, Oakley School and Skinners’ Kent Primary School were at the event.

The free summer art trail will be installed for people to visit from Friday 11 July to Tuesday 9 September. The locations of the sculptures will be revealed once the trail is live, with families able to purchase maps of the route for a small donation.

Demelza’s Trail with a Tale Learning Programme Lead, Loren Regan, said: “It was brilliant to have so many of our school and community group representatives in one place and to hear about some of the ideas they’ve got for their sculptures.

“We’re excited to see the animals once they’ve been painted and we can’t wait for families to enjoy the trail once it has been set up around Tunbridge Wells.

“It’s something new for Demelza and we hope that, as well as being a fun summer activity for families, it will also raise awareness in the local area of services we offer to children with serious or life-limiting conditions and their families.”

Find out more about our Trail with a Tale