More than £2m was brought to Ipswich's economy in a summer of success for the town's Big Hoot trail.
It has been a little over five months since the owls flew away, with those behind the project revealing the 2022 scheme was a record-breaking year.
St Elizabeth Hospice’s Big Hoot Ipswich 2022 was a great success, raising a total sum of £270,316 through the auction, sponsorship and corporate support.
The art trail saw 115 ornately decorated owl sculptures make their nests throughout Ipswich, between June and September, and brought a projected £2.3 million benefit to the town centre through increased footfall.
315,900 people walked more than 13,005 miles to find 50 Big Hoots and 65 Little Hoots, collecting 405,000 sculptures using the Big Hoot app.
The summer’s trail was brought to its culmination by the Big Hoot auction, which alone raised more than £160,000 for the hospice.
Celia Joseph of St Elizabeth Hospice said: “The Big Hoot Ipswich 2022 brought so much creativity and fun to Ipswich last summer, while raising vital funds and awareness for the hospice.
“The art trail leaves a fantastic legacy which, as this data highlights, has had a positive impact on the town, St Elizabeth Hospice and the local community. It was an ‘owltastic’ success.”
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