The Big Dog Art Trail has scored its latest sponsor after teaming up with Trust STFC and Swindon Town Football Club.
The signing is a big scoop for the trail, which is coming to Swindon this summer from 15 July to 3 September, 2023, in aid of Julia’s House children’s hospice.
The trail features 30 large balloon dog sculptures called Swindogs and more than 40 smaller Swinpup sculptures.
One of the Swindogs will be lacing up their boots as they take pride of place at The County Ground with a special design, painted by Swindon artist Steve Curtis, dedicated to the Town legend and League Cup winner Don Rogers.
The Trust are sponsoring the Swindon-designed sculpture, with Swindon Town supporting the trail with rewards that will feature in the trail app, such as free tickets to matches and the chance to win a signed Swindon Town shirt.
“When we heard about The Big Dog Art Trail and in particular, Dog Rogers, we thought it would be a great thing for us to support.
“As a Supporters’ Trust, we are very community-driven, and anything that helps the charity and brings families to the County Ground is a good thing in our books.
“We are currently having a Don Rogers statue designed, and it will be finished later this year, so having Dog Rogers in place in the meantime is a nice way to lead up to that.
“We’re excited to be a part of this and hope to see many Swindon Town fans out on the trail collecting rewards and supporting a great cause.”
Steve Mytton, Chairman of TrustSTFC

Swindon Town CEO Rob Angus added: “We are really pleased to be supporting The Big Dog Art Trail and really excited that one of the Swindogs will be taking pride of place here at our iconic stadium.
“This is a great initiative that will encourage families to get out and about around Swindon and raise valuable funds for a fantastic charity in the shape of Julia’s House, who do incredible work across our local community.
“I for one cannot wait to see ‘Dog Rogers’ back at the County Ground in a slightly more unorthodox way, which is a great tribute to the man himself and everything he has achieved here.”
“Swindon Town and the Trust play such a vital role in the heart of the Swindon community and to have them sponsor a dog is one of the signings of the season.
“Their support will be important and it will be great to have one of the sculptures at the County Ground during their pre-season and start of the new season.
“We’re excited to share the Dog Rogers design and hope to see as many Town fans out on the trail collecting the rewards as possible.”
Chris Hyde, The Big Dog Art Trail Project Manager

At the end of the trail, the Dog Rogers designed sculpture will join all the others at a grand farewell weekend. The giant, one-of-a-kind creations will then head off to their forever homes after being adopted at a special auction event to raise money for Julia’s House children’s hospice.
The Big Dog Art Trail is being brought to Swindon by Julia’s House and global public art producer Wild in Art.
There are now a very limited number of Swindogs available to be sponsored. So don’t miss out on your business being seen by thousands of visitors this summer and supporting a brilliant charity. To find out how to become a sponsor, click below.
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bigdogarttrail
Sep 29
Of the thousands of you who came and enjoyed The Big Dog Art Trail 2023 – we had many a smile, and a selfie!
Here some of the top tail-wagging pics we had sent in 🐶
Find out what exciting plans we have next by following us @JuliasHouseChildrensHospice or by signing up to our newsletter.
Link in our bio or here: www.juliashouse.org/BigDog
#bigdogarttrail #thebigdogarttrail2023 #wildinart #juliashousechildrenshospice #juliashousehospice #swindonarttrail #swindog #bbcwiltshire #bbcwest #visitengland #visituk #visitswindon #igersswindon #swindonsmallbusiness #swindonbusiness #swindonvolunteers #swindonlife #swindonartist #wiltshire #visitwiltshire …
bigdogarttrail
Sep 28
Bow-Wow what a summer it’s been! We’re so grateful for all of you who came along to enjoy the trail this year.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane on some of the trail’s top dog moments, including:
🐾 Hours of painstaking BTS scenes with our incredible artists hard at work
🐾 An exciting launch weekend
🐾 Fun in the sun on our Sponsor Selfie day
🐾 Farewell Weekend filled with all the pups back together again
🐾 Our Grand Auction, where we raised more than £165k for the incredible @JuliasHouseChildrensHospice
Thank you Swindon – we couldn`t have done it without you!
Don`t forget to follow @JuliasHouseChildrensHospice or sign up to our newsletter to find out what exciting plans we have next!
Link in our bio
#bigdogarttrail #thebigdogarttrail2023 #wildinart #juliashousechildrenshospice #juliashousehospice #swindonarttrail #swindog #swinpup #swindonsummer #outdoorconcerts #pimmsfestival #pimmsinthepark #swindonevents …
bigdogarttrail
Sep 27
Pup, pup and away!
They`ve loved their adventures across town, but the time has come for the Swinpups to go back home…
One of the most magical parts of The Big Dog Art Trail has been seeing the joy and creativity that the sculptures sparked in schools and community groups across Swindon.
We`re so grateful to every single teacher, leader, student, artist and supporter who helped to create the 42 Swinpups that made the trail absolutely paw-some.
And a special thanks to Swindon Borough Council, the trail`s Learning Programme Partner.
Get all the pup-dates and find out what`s next for Julia`s House by following @JuliasHouseChildrensHospice or by signing up to our newsletter. Link in our story. …
bigdogarttrail
Sep 24
The Big Dog Art Trail isn’t just about tail-wagging fun and stunning art…🐾
The trail supports the essential work of your local children’s hospice, Julia’s House, who offer practical and emotional support for families caring for a child with life-threatening or life-shortening conditions.
Thanks to your contributions to the trail this year, we’ve been able to raise vital funds to help Julia’s House provide a lifeline of care to the most seriously ill children and their families in Swindon and Wiltshire.
This will help more families access:
⭐ Emotional and practical support from expert nurses and carers
⭐ Respite sessions so they can take a break from caring around the clock
⭐ Bereavement advice and support
You can find out more about Julia’s House families and events by signing up to our newsletter here/via the link in our bio: www.juliashouse.org/BigDog
@JuliasHouseChildrensHospice
#bigdogarttrail #thebigdogarttrail2023 #wildinart #juliashousechildrenshospice #juliashousehospice #swindonarttrail #swindog #swinpup …
bigdogarttrail
Sep 23
If you missed out at our auction and would love a mini balloon dog of your own, we`ve got a paws-itively fab offer from @YappieDogs to share!
When you use promo code JH10, you`ll get 10% off their colourful range of resin balloon dogs. Plus Yappie Dogs will also donate £10 to Julia`s House on your behalf.
Just head to their website and enter the promo code JH10 to redeem the offer: www.yappiedogs.com
#bigdogarttrail #balloondogs #yappiedogs …
bigdogarttrail
Sep 20
Drumroll please… the results from our Grand Auction are in! 🥁
We had an incredible evening and bid-tastic time at the STEAM museum – raising a woofing £165,800 for @Juliashousechildrenshospice 🐶
All 34 auctioned Swindogs have now gone to their fur-ever homes to unleash a new life.
Thanks so much to everyone who bid on the night! Your support will help us continue to provide our lifeline of care to local families of seriously ill children.
#JuliasHouse #WildinArt @wildinart …