Farewell Great North Snowdogs

Farewell Great North Snowdogs. It is the end of the Great North Snowdog Trail. For the last ten weeks the Great North snowdogs have been scattered across the North East. These giant snowdog sculptures are part of a trail to raise money for St Oswald’s Hospice.

The Great North Snowdogs Trail has been capturing the imagination and the hearts of people across the North East. The snowdogs are based on the story of The Snowman and the Snowdog by Raymond Biggs. Each giant sculpture on the trail has a unique design and they were painted by well known and lesser known artists from the region. Who knew that the sixty one giant snowdogs spread around the North East would become so popular? Every time we found one they were surrounded by people taking photographs and ticking them off on the snowdog trail map. Over the ten weeks of the trail I managed to find thirty four of the sixty one snowdogs on the trail. It has been a fun trail and a great way to explore and see more of our local area.

Sadly the Great North Snowdogs Trail has come to an end. Tomorrow the snowdogs will be auctioned off at The Sage to raise money for St Oswald’s Children’s Hospice. While it is strange not seeing the snowdogs on the streets it is good to know that the money is going to a good cause. It will be interesting to see who gives the giant snowdogs a home. I would love one in our garden, it would certainly be a talking point.

Farewell Great North Snowdogs

This weekend we went to the Great North Snowdogs Farewell event at Gateshead International Stadium. All sixty one giant snowdogs had been rounded up and were on display so people could say goodbye to them. It was a great opportunity to see the snowdogs that I hadn’t seen on the trail. The dogs had been sent to a pampering parlour so they were all looking their best for the auction. Any wear and tear from being on the streets for ten weeks had been sorted out.

Even though the day was cold the event was popular with hundreds of people entering Gateshead International Stadium to see the snowdogs. There were a few of the snowdogs on the track when we first went in and we took the chance to take some photos. A few of these were familar from our visit to the trail but others we hadn’t seen before.

On the way into the stadium

Inside the tent

There was a large queue waiting to enter the tent where the majority of the snowdogs were on display. We joined the end waiting patiently until we could enter. Inside there was a Great North snowdog grotto. The snowdogs were on display with a winter backdrop. Frosty trees and snowflakes were set amongst them. The snowdogs were behind fences to protect them which made it hard to take photographs. People politely gave each other room to get a good view of the snowdogs. It was lovely to see them all together and I found several that were new to me. I was pleased to find Pawdington who had been broken when I tried to visit him on the trail.

It took a while to get around the tent and see all the snowdogs, this is only a selection of the dogs inside. I love the way each of them has their own quirky personality.

Outside the tent

On leaving the tent a few more snowdogs we found a few more snowdogs to view before we left. One of the snowdogs here was Patchwork Northumberland. He was one of the hardest dogs on the trail to see as he was placed at Kielder Water and Forest Park, quite a way from the rest. Kielder Water and Forest Park is somewhere we go reasonably often, the last time we went we were searching for ospreys. Sadly we hadn’t managed to visit while the trail was on so it was nice to see this snowdog. Before we left we visited the Christmas market where we got some lovely cupcakes.

Whilst it is sad to say goodbye to the Great North Snowdogs they have been sent off in style and I now have a photography of each of them. Did you take part in the Great North Snowdogs Trail? How many of them did you find? Farewell Great North Snowdogs and I hope you all go to a good home.