Full steam ahead, Gromit!

Driven by Wallace & Gromit creator Nick Park, the train carried a dozen unique character sculptures into the city to mark the start of Gromit Unleashed 3.

The sculpture trail, which officially starts on Monday 30 June, is a joint initiative by The Grand Appeal, the Bristol Children’s Hospital Charity and multi-award winning independent studio, Aardman.

The train was greeted by local school children before one of the sculptures was lifted onto the harbour’s heritage cranes and another sent off to its summer location onboard Bristol’s former fire-boat, the Pyronaut. Over the coming days, all 53 sculptures will be delivered to their trail locations, throughout the city of Bristol and beyond.

Hot on the heels of Aardman’s latest double BAFTA®-winning feature film, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, which debuted on the BBC and was released on Netflix UK today, the designs are inspired by the movies and the stories, fables and legends that have inspired them.

The cast of the new trail includes already announced designs in collaboration with and inspired by Roald Dahl, DreamWorks and Netflix, alongside a talented line-up of local artists.

Joining Nick Park’s two exclusive sculpture designs on this morning’s train were designs by, and in collaboration with, Sir Paul McCartney, Pixar, Lucasfilm – creators of Star Wars, Richard Curtis, Jorge R. Gutierrez, Peter Lord, and local artists, with their sculptures standing proud onboard the heritage locomotive.

Nick Park, Aardman director and creator of Wallace & Gromit commented:

“It’s amazing to see such imagination and originality from the artists taking part in our trail this summer. I’ve had the privilege of watching the work of such talented creators coming together all in support of a great cause - The Grand Appeal. I look forward to a summer of Gromiteering’ around Bristol and beyond this summer. Join the queue…”

The Gromit Unleashed 3 trail will run from Monday 30 June to Sunday 31 August. The trail will be followed by The Greatest Dog Show on Earth ® exhibition before all the sculptures are auctioned to raise money for The Grand Appeal, the Bristol Children’s Hospital Charity. Visitors to the trail can tick off each sculpture via the official Gromit Unleashed 3 app, available on Apple and Android from Monday 30 June. A map of all sculptures will also be available from various locations around the city.

Nicola Masters, director, The Grand Appeal added:

“It’s a cracking day to unleash our 2025 sculptures today – setting the wheels in motion for a grand day out the whole city can enjoy. Each sculpture has been brought to life through the magic of film, fables, tales and folklore – a dazzling celebration of storytelling, imagination. A star-studded spectacle that brings glitz, glamour and a touch of movie magic to the trail. We are proud to celebrate our extraordinary 30-year partnership with Aardman with Wallace & Gromit proudly spearheading our fundraising efforts, inspiring generations with their trademark charm and creativity.”

Gromit Unleashed 3 is now the fourth sculpture trail by The Grand Appeal and Aardman Animations. It builds on the runaway success of Gromit Unleashed, Shaun in the City, and Gromit Unleashed 2.

What started as a one-off sculpture trail 12 years ago has evolved into an iconic and much-loved brand, spanning collectable giftware, a major online and in-store retail outlet at Cribbs, and multiple unmissable trails, exhibitions, events, auctions and activities worldwide.

This summer, The Grand Appeal and Aardman Animations celebrate a 30-year partnership of Wallace & Gromit spearheading the charity’s fundraising. A partnership first conceived in 1995 to help raise the money to build the Bristol Children’s Hospital on Upper Maudlin Street, Bristol. Since then, £90 million has been raised for The Grand Appeal, the Bristol Children’s Hospital Charity and Cots for Tots, the dedicated charity for the Neonatal Intensive Care Ward at St Michael’s Hospital.

Helen Godwin, the new Mayor of the West of England added:

“We are thrilled to welcome the return of the Gromit Unleashed trail to the West this summer – a celebration of creativity in support of such a worthy cause as The Grand Appeal, The Bristol Children’s Hospital Charity. Families from every corner of our region, as well as visitors here, will have the chance to explore the trail together to meet Aardman’s beloved characters. This year, we’re set to make that even easier with free bus travel for children and young people aged under 16 throughout the school holidays in the West of England. That’s a lot of grand days out!”

To keep up to date with the latest news from The Grand Appeal and Gromit Unleashed 3, visit www.gromitunleashed.org.uk and follow @TheGrandAppeal across Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube and @GromitUnleashed on Facebook and X.

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Nick Park, Aardman director and creator of Wallace & Gromit commented:

Nicola Masters, director, The Grand Appeal added:

Helen Godwin, the new Mayor of the West of England added:

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