Peter Marron and Ellie Edge
With dates for the 2021 GoGoDiscover T.rex trail set to be announced very soon, Break has revealed that this year’s event will form the first half of a two year trail of prehistoric proportions, with even more T.rex and another gigantic species to discover next year!
The 20 T.rex forming a Jurassic jaunt around Norwich in Summer 2021 won’t fade into extinction, and will return in Summer 2022 for 10 weeks, with more new T.rex friends and a mighty herd of Steppe Mammoth – and this time it will go county wide!
Bringing colour, fun and beautiful art across Norwich and Norfolk, GoGoDiscover is delivered by East Anglia based charity Break in partnership with Wild in Art and the 2022 trail will celebrate the Deep History Coast. The new Steppe Mammoth sculptures tie into Norfolk being home to the discovery of the largest and oldest mammoth ever found in Britain.
The T.rex and Steppe Mammoth sculptures will be decorated by local and national artists and sponsored by businesses from across the region.
Following the 2021 and 2022 GoGoDiscover family-friendly trails, a charity auction of most of the sculptures will be held in October 2022 to raise vital funds for Break; transforming futures and changing lives of vulnerable children and young people across the region.
Break will be announcing some of the partners and sponsors who have already stomped on board for 2022 very soon, but is now calling out for other businesses to get involved by sponsoring a T.rex or Steppe Mammoth. Peter Marron, GoGoDiscover project manager, comments: “We are so excited to once again be working with Wild in Art to bring a two year art trail to Norwich and Norfolk, which will bring tourism and economic benefits to the region, put smiles on people’s faces, encourage adventure and exploration of our beautiful county and raise awareness and vital funds for Break. Money raised from the trail will support young people right here in East Anglia. We’ll also be launching a Learning & Community Programme to get even more people involved and getting creative!
“The 2021 T.rex all have sponsors already and look amazing - we can’t wait to start sharing more news and sneak peeks of them very soon! But now is the time for businesses to sign-up for 2022 and be part of this truly unique and exciting event, while supporting Break.”
Charlie Langhorne, Managing Director and Co-founder of Wild in Art said: “We are proud to continue our partnership with Break and unveil our latest project, which will be brought to life across Norwich and Norfolk, giving new audiences the chance to enjoy public art in a fun and engaging manner. We passionately champion the importance of art for everybody and the social, cultural and educational benefits which it provides. We hope that through GoGoDiscover we can introduce new businesses to the arts, inject additional funds into the creative sector, and encourage people to explore the cultural offer in Norfolk.”
Businesses and community groups interested in getting involved in GoGoDiscover should visit break-charity.org/gogodiscover or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
GoGoDiscover follows the success of GoGoHares in 2018, GoGoDragons and GoGoGorillas. Previous GoGo sculpture trails have raised over £1million for Break.
For more information about Break visit break-charity.org
With thousands of people already coming up close to Break’s GoGoDiscover 21 T.rex, which are brightening up Norwich’s streets this summer and helping Break raise funds so that it continue to provide lifelong support to children and young people in care, on the edge of care or leaving care, meet some of the artists who designed and decorated some of the colossal sculptures.
Aylsham-based artist, Mik Richardson, designed Afternoon Tea-Rex, sponsored by and located at Chantry Place. This is the fourth time Mik has worked on a Break sculpture trail, with his previous pieces raising over £68,000 for the East Anglian children’s charity. Although Mik has painted over 100 sculptures for over 30 trails across the UK, including a special commission for Blue Peter and a piece brought by Ed Sheeran, Afternoon Tea-Rex is the biggest sculpture he has worked on – at 2 metres tall. Taking roughly 10 days to decorate, Mik used acrylic and emulsion paints to bring the tea-riffic T. Rex to life, and added a real tea tray and cake stand. “Rex is a waiter, but with his tiny little arms, he has to balance items on his head and back”, said Mik, “so don’t even consider asking him to pick up that dropped spoon from the floor.” Mik wasn’t always an artist, in fact he spent 27 years as an avionics engineer in the RAF.
Get ready to GoGo - 21 T.rex have now stomped into the city for Break’s GoGoDiscover T.rex trail. Here is everything you need to know…
GoGoDiscover 2021 takes place for nine weeks from Monday 12th July until Saturday 11th September with 21 colourful T.rex in Norwich.
While the trail is free, East Anglian children’s charity Break, who deliver the trail in partnership with Wild in Art, hope to raise vital funds so that it can continue to provide lifelong support to children and young people in care, on the edge of care or leaving care. People can donate online here or text TREX to 70085 to donate £3. Texts cost £3, plus one standard rate message.
The names of the 2 metre tall T.rex are Prideasaurus, B-Rex, T.Pot, Afternoon Tea-Rex, T-Wrecks, Hawker, Doctasaurus, Hulkasaurus, 60 Million Years, Tigrasaurus, SNAP!, Dino Hunter, Lava Land, Rex, The Junkasaurus Rex, Do you think they saurus?, Eyela the T.spex, Automotosaurus, Where’s Rexy, Lost Holmes and Tyra-Norvy-Saurus.
The T.rex are located in Norwich Cathedral, Chantry Place, Riverside, The Forum, Castle Quarter and Jarrold. They can also be found on All Saints Green, Davey Place, Fye Bridge, Orford Hill, St Georges Street, London Street and Junkyard Market.
With just one month to go until Break’s GoGoDiscover T.rex trail launches, excitement is building as the city gets ready to welcome the 20 colossal sculptures when they stomp into popular locations including Norwich Cathedral, Chantry Place, Riverside, Castle Quarter and Jarrold. In preparation for the trail starting on 12th July, Break, who provide lifelong support to children and young people in care, on the edge of care or leaving care, has released some fun facts about these fierce visitors.
Measuring approximately 2 metres tall and weighing around 85kg, each T.rex sculpture is individually made from toughened fibreglass. The sculptures are all sponsored by businesses from across the region and have been decorated by talented artists to create unique designs. The T.rex aren’t all just painted – some have had additional decorations, embellishments and even a few usual props added to really bring the sculpture themes to life.
To mark Volunteers’ Week, between 1st and 7th June 2021, Break is appealing for volunteers to get up close to 20 large T.rex this summer by signing-up to be a GoGoDiscover Trail Ranger.
There are a handful of exciting volunteer positions available and you don’t even need to be a dinosaur expert to apply! The T.rex Rangers will each be needed a few times throughout the summer as part of Break’s colourful GoGoDiscover trail to help maintain the sculptures, promote the trail and ensure it is a success, as well as support Break’s fundraising efforts.
In addition to recruiting Trail Rangers for the summer, Break is also seeking volunteer mentors, fundraising volunteers and retail volunteers to support its work across the region. As a charity, Break relies on an incredible team of volunteers to help support its fundraising team so that it can continue to provide lifelong support to children and young people in care, on the edge of care or leaving care.
Sarah Bunn, Community Fundraising Manager at Break, said: “We are looking for an enthusiastic, flexible and committed team of volunteers to support our prehistoric parade and, as well as it being lots of fun, the Trail Rangers will receive training, develop new skills and enjoy behind-the-scenes access to one of the biggest events taking place in Norwich this year. Trail Rangers will also assist with the cleaning and presentation of the sculptures, ensuring every T.rex looks its best, and help with fundraising efforts. As a charity, we are always looking for people to spread the word about Break and we have lots of opportunities to volunteer at our amazing events to raise funds to support the work we do with children and young people.”
After announcing the dates for the 2021 trail, Break has revealed details about the second half of the two year trail of prehistoric proportions by announcing it’s 2022 partners, as well as giving a first look at the gigantic Steppe Mammoth sculpture set to join the T.rex in Norfolk next year!
GoGoDiscover 2022 will take place between Monday 27th June and Saturday 10th September 2022 with a mighty herd of Steppe Mammoth across Norfolk and even more T.rex to be discovered in Norwich. The trail is delivered by East Anglian based children’s charity Break, who provide lifelong support to children and young people in care, on the edge of care or leaving care, in partnership with Wild in Art.
Each T.rex and mammoth in the family-friendly trail will be decorated by local and national artists and sponsored by businesses from across the region, with many opportunities available for businesses to get involved in next year’s event. The GoGoDiscover county trail celebrates the Deep History Coast and Norfolk being home to the discovery of the largest and oldest mammoth ever found in Britain.