East Suffolk Council

The Hop to it art trail is coming to East Suffolk and St Elizabeth Hospice has chosen Felixstowe, Woodbridge, Beccles and Lowestoft as locations to host the trail, alongside Suffolk’s county town, Ipswich.  

Similar to previous art trails, such as The Big Hoot 2022, several sculptures will be installed in these locations from the 21 June. This year’s animal is the hare, chosen to reflect how the hospice deliver care swiftly to people across Suffolk. By creating this event, the hospice hopes to bring joy to the community and provide a fun and free activity for families in Suffolk. You can complete the trail at your own pace, choosing when you visit the hares and how many you see.  

East Suffolk Council are a proud presenting partner of the trail, and we want to raise as much money as possible for this brilliant service. Find out more about the trail below. 

Our amazing artists! 

East Suffolk Council have been allocated two hares for the trail, one large and one small. Cllrs Caroline Topping and Sarah Whitelock selected the artists to paint the hares last year.  

They chose Sarah Edwards, a registered nurse at the hospice, to paint the large hare. Sarah has named the hare ‘Summer’, and it will be on display in Lowestoft throughout the trail.  

“I have been a Registered Nurse at St Elizabeth Hospice since 2014 and prior to that was a nurse at Ipswich Hospital for over 25 years. Because of this, I can see first-hand how vital it is to maintain delivery of the excellent service the hospice provides to the community. 

“Since I began working at the hospice, I have rediscovered my artistic abilities. Previously, I’ve painted sculptures for other art trails hosted by the hospice, and I’ve loved being a part of these events, which generate much needed funding for the hospice.  

“My design celebrates the natural beauty of the hare.  I love hares and have created several different collages of them, so I was naturally thrilled at this year's theme. Thank you for picking my design and sponsoring me.” - Sarah 

Sarah Bennett was chosen to paint the small hare, which is named ‘Messing about on the river’. Its name takes inspiration from the chosen location for this hare, in Beccles.   

“My name is Sarah Bennett, also known as The Happy Snail. I started out by studying for a degree in graphic design and went on the study a master’s degree in Illustration.  

“For my MA final piece, I produced a large, colourful mural for a local mum and baby charity, with the intention of spreading a little joy to the community there. After graduation, I wanted to continue producing public art that sparks joy in people, which is why I was so keen to be involved with the art trail. 

“I previously volunteered as an art therapy assistant at a Marie Curie hospice, and the effect of art on the staff and patients there really inspired me. Also, I know people that have been brilliantly looked after by St Elizabeth Hospice, so this opportunity is particularly special to me.  

“I live in a village between Beccles and Bungay, and my design is inspired by a certain part of Beccles and the vibrant community that live there. I was so excited to be chosen and can’t wait for everyone to see my hare. Hopefully for lots of money to be raised for the hospice!” - Sarah 

Thinking of fundraising? 

St Elizabeth Hospice is an amazing service that provides much needed care to people across East Suffolk, and we want to give back to them. Every penny counts, so why not help out and donate today?  

Stuck for ideas on how to fundraise? The hospice has lots of suggestions and advice on their website! Check out some fundraising tips and tricks. 

East Suffolk businesses, this event needs your support! You have a chance to be part of an amazing event and promote your business amongst residents and tourists – so get involved!   

Getting there 

There are several ways you can travel to each town. We’d like to encourage people to use public transport where possible. 

The East Suffolk Lines connect each location by train. Find out more about travelling by train, including any offers that Greater Anglia are running.  

Don’t forget – each town’s trail is a walkable distance. Take in everything the towns have to offer by completing each trail on foot.  

Download the app 

For this year’s trail, there’s a helpful app for you to track your progress. Download the Hop to it! Suffolk 2025 app from the App Store or Google Play and start finding those hares!  

The app has several features including a map showing the locations of each hare, a pedometer to track your steps, sculpture stats and more!  

Make sure you look out for the ‘unlock code’ at each sculpture location, so you can track your progress. You can even vote for our sculptures in the app too – we're hoping for lots of votes, so make sure you help us out!   

So, why take part?  

This is a great event and one that’s fun and free for the whole family. Whether you visit one hare, or all of them (which would be impressive), it’s all for a great cause.  

70% of St Elizabeth Hospice’s funding comes from public support. Even visiting the hares will help raise the profile of the hospice and could lead to more funding, which enables them to continue support our community.  

If you're looking for a low-cost thing to do throughout the Summer Holidays, why not try one of the trails?  

Getting outside and spending time with our family and friends is a great way to improve mental health and wellbeing. Don’t forget the benefits to your health if you walk the trail!  

Let us know if you’re taking part by sending your social media posts!  

Find out more about Hop to it! Suffolk 2025.