Trail FAQs

From the 11th July – 3rd September, Southend-on-Sea and Leigh-on-Sea will be adorned with 30+ giant fibre-glass penguin sculptures, plus more than 70 baby penguin sculptures.  

These masterpieces have been designed and created by local and national artists, plus schools and community groups, to form a spectacular sculpture trail – all to raise vital funds and awareness for Havens Hospices. 

Penguins are caring and compassionate by nature, the perfect symbol of Havens Hospices’ values and Care Teams who work tirelessly to make every day count for every patient and their families 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Just like a huddle of penguins, we offer a calm and friendly space where patients and their families can receive the support they need throughout their life’s journey 

Yes! It is completely free to follow Waddle-on-Sea. Trail maps will be available once the trail has launched on 11th July 2025 from: 

Waddle HQ - The Royals (outside next to Toni and Guy) 

HH Shop - Southend High Street - 65 High Street, Southend on Sea, SS1 1HZ 

HH Shop - Leigh Re:loved - 174 Leigh Road, Leigh on Sea, SS9 1BT 

HH Shop - Shoebury Asda - Unit 3 (A&B) Frobisher Way, Shoeburyness, SS3 8DA 

HH Shop - Prittlewell - 53 Prince Avenue, Southend On Sea, SS2 6RL 

The Forum - Elmer Avenue, Southend, SS1 1NS  

If you would like to download the Waddle-on-Sea app this is available from the App Store and Google Play.

The penguins are placed at key locations across Southend-on-Sea and Leigh-on-Sea. You can view a full list of locations on our map or the Waddle-on-Sea app (available from the App Store and Google Play). 

The Waddle-on-Sea trail stretches across approximately X miles* 

Leigh-on-Sea – Total steps: 

Southend-on-Sea- Total steps: 

*The X-mile distance is an approximation based on steps tracker technology. 

• By train There are two direct train lines which operate between London and Southend. The c2c line from Fenchurch Street stops in Leigh-on-Sea and Southend Central. The Abellio Greater Anglia from Liverpool Street stops in Prittlewell and Southend Victoria. 

• By bus There is an extensive bus network which operates around Southend. For all bus information and timetables visit the website of Arriva or First Buses. 

• By car There are two major roads which link Southend to the M25, the A127 and A13. From the north, Southend is accessible via the A1, M11, M25 (Junction 29 – 20 miles) & A127. From the south, Southend can be reached via the M25 (Junction 30) or from the Dartford Tunnel & A13. Visit www.southend.gov.uk/parking-travel-roads for more information. 

The aim is for the trail to take people on a journey of discovery and to showcase many areas of the towns.  

Each of the locations for the large sculptures has been chosen as they are fully accessible. However, some local restrictions may apply.  The app collection code will be visible outside the venues if the sculptures are inaccessible due to closing hours.

The baby penguins are placed in indoor locations, to protect them from theft and the elements. 

Wild in Art and Havens Hospices cannot be held liable for any penguins that are unavailable for viewing. Visitors should check location opening times before they travel. 

Waddle-on-Sea connects corporate, public and community partners around Southend-on-Sea and Leigh-on-Sea, providing a new and uniquely creative avenue for collaboration. All while supporting a local charity.  

Businesses, community groups and education establishments are invited to sponsor a blank sculpture – the 3D canvas!  

New and established artists were invited to submit designs to transform the blank sculpture with individual artworks. Design ideas were presented to sponsors in January who each select their favourite. Successful artists have been commissioned to apply their designs – ranging from traditional to new media, fine art to illustration, graffiti and mosaic – to the sculptures.   

Once all the sculptures are decorated, they appear in our streets, parks and open spaces in summer to form a free art trail. Residents and visitors, young and old, will explore the trail using a bespoke trail map and mobile app. These help them navigate around the city, discover new places and unlock exciting rewards and discounts provided by sponsors.  

After entertaining and getting people outdoors, walking more, and sharing their stories, the sculptures come together for a special farewell event. It gives everyone a last chance to see the sculptures, meet some of the artists involved, and maybe choose one to bid for at the charity auction! 

When the art trail ends, the legacy of Waddle-on-Sea continues as many of the sculptures take centre stage at a glittering auction to raise vital funds for Havens Hospices (1022119). 

All locations for our sculptures (indoor and outdoor) have been chosen to ensure they are accessible to all, including wheelchair users. There is no charge to view the sculptures at any venue during the trail. 

After communities and tourists have enjoyed participating in Waddle-on-Sea and everybody’s creativity, dedication, and support have paid off, the auction will make a fitting finale. It is an exciting, major event in its own right and will provide a fundraising platform for Havens Hospices. 

Yes, full-size penguins will be sold at the charity auction in September. The Community & Learning Programme’s baby penguins will not be available to buy. They will be returned to each of the schools as a permanent memento following the summer event.  However, there will be 6 small penguins included in the auction that have been designed by artists. 

Yes – the bidding process and all details about the auction will be available nearer the time.  

The auction will take place on 25 September. Following the trail, the sculptures will be refurbished by artists, bringing each of the sculptures back to excellent condition before they go under the hammer.

Visit Waddle HQ at The Royals Shopping Centre (outside in the High Street, next to Toni and Guy) to get your fins on a wide range of official merchandise.  

Through an open call out to artists, Waddle-on-Sea invited local, regional and national artists - professional and amateur, famous and undiscovered - to submit designs. Designs were welcome in any art form – traditional to new media, fine art to illustrations, graffiti and mosaic, embroidery to metalwork. Whatever the art form, we were keen to add drama, fun and a creative flourish to Waddle-on-Sea.  

The portfolio of designs was then presented to the sponsors at a Sponsorship Preview reception. At this event, sponsors identified the artwork they would like to choose, and the artist was commissioned.  

In addition, artists worked with community groups on projects with different themes ranging from the environment to well-being, through to local history and culture, to create a truly local celebration of Waddle-on-Sea.  

The locations of the penguins are purposefully chosen to avoid vandalism and are covered by CCTV. Thankfully, vandalism is a rare occurrence. Decisions about vandalism are made on a case-by-case basis. Principally, all efforts will be made to restore the sculpture. If there is a repetition of the vandalism once the penguin has been restored, a different location will be found for the penguin.  

Damages can be reported to waddleonsea@havenshospices.org.uk   

Havens Hospices are working with creative producers Wild in Art to bring the trail to Southend-on-Sea. 

The sponsorship drive has been enormously successful and has been supported by all sectors of the business community across the region. A full list of sponsors can be found on our website. 

Waddle-on-Sea will have a hugely valuable economic and social legacy for Southend-on-Sea as it unlocks the power of creativity to connect communities through art. Wild in Art sculpture trails attract hundreds of thousands of visitors – locals and tourists. An evaluation will be completed after the trail to assess the economic impact for the city.  

Waddle-on-Sea is a partnership-led event and very much depends on the buy-in of local communities, funders and sponsors. Additionally, we invited schools and community groups throughout the city to get involved and showcase young people’s creativity in their local area through the Learning Programme’s trail.  

There are a number of factors to consider when placing a sculpture, including footfall and security.

Staging large-scale events requires much upfront investment. The support of companies to take up sponsorship packages is critical.  

The private sector funds the event by purchasing sponsorship packages, ranging from our Presenting Partners to our Sculpture Sponsorships, as well as gifts in kind.  

Sponsorship is a business development opportunity offering the chance for companies to raise their profile, gain access to new customers and generate sales, develop new key stakeholder relationships and realise their corporate social responsibility. It’s also an opportunity to engender employee loyalty, help promote health and wellbeing, and to be a part of a fun and free to visit, family-friendly initiative that promotes community cohesion and showcases the creativity of the town/city. 

The money from the purchase of sponsorship packages goes towards covering the cost of manufacturing the sculpture, paying the artists who decorate the sculptures, and the entire event infrastructure, operations and logistics for putting the sculptures on the streets, and all associated events. 

Wild in Art is the leading producer of spectacular public art events that entertain, enrich, inform and leave a lasting legacy. It brings together businesses and creative sectors with schools and local communities through the creation of uniquely painted sculptures. 

Wild in Art events have enabled over £23.6m to be raised for charitable causes, injected £3.8m into local creative communities, engaged over 1 million young people in learning programmes and helped millions of people of all ages to experience art in non-traditional settings. For more information, visit wildinart.co.uk 

Yes. This is available from the App Store and Google Play (cost TBC). From here, you can access the map and locations, and unlock milestone rewards by adding the unique four-digit code from each sculpture. 

The baby penguins are part of the Waddle-on-Sea Learning Programme, sponsored by Rickard Luckin, and are integral to the success of the art trial. Each one will be designed by a local school, youth group or community project, making them completely unique, with their own personalities and names.  

They will be displayed together in mini-herds with the large penguins across the city for eight weeks between July and September 2023 before they stomp back to their forever home with their creators. 

It depends on the pace you are walking. As the trail is set in two distinct areas of Southend-on-Sea, you may wish to approach each section on different days or use public transport between the towns.  

Say goodbye to the huddle at our Farewell Weekend on 13 and 14 September. It’s a unique opportunity to see all the large and baby penguin sculptures in one place after their summer showcase across Southend-on-Sea.

Tickets available at www.havenshospices.org.uk/farewell