Marking 10 years of animal magic!

The turn of the year is always a time for reflection, and this year that is bringing a huge smile to our faces at Quorum Park as we look back on a particularly special relationship we have, which has given us a close up look at some of the country’s most loved characters. You see, 2025 marks 10 years of collaboration with one of the region’s most vital charities – St Oswald’s Hospice!

Independent charity St Oswald’s Hospice, which is based in nearby Gosforth but has a network of 25 retail shops and warehouses all over the region, including specialist stores stocking furniture, books, posh frocks and bridal wear, provides dignified and compassionate expert care for people of all ages affected by progressive, life-limiting conditions.

Including both inpatient and outpatient support, as well as services for family members and carers, the charity’s work positively impacts thousands of people each year – but many families across the North East know it better as a provider of incredible amounts of fun, in the form of its many creative fundraising trails.

These trails, featuring Shaun the Sheep from Wallace and Gromit fame, Elmer the Elephant and Snowdogs, from the creators of much-loved 80s cartoon, The Snowman, were the reason we came together with the hospice back in 2015, when its team was preparing for the first of these popular campaigns – the Great North Snowdogs trail of 2016.

The event, which kicked off in September of that year, involved more than 60 large-scale Snowdog sculptures inspired by the animated film, The Snowman and the Snowdog. Joined by a pack of almost 100 miniature hounds whose designs were created by local school children, these colourful canines were each given a unique look by a host of professional artists, and a private kennel was an essential feature before the grand unveiling of each dog at an exclusive event for sponsors of the initiative.

Although the artworks were originally meant to be housed and finalised elsewhere, their original accommodation fell through, and we were excited to be able to step in and offer them a space in the ground floor of Lightbox at Quorum Park.

Once the finishing touches were made to each individual pup, the Quorum team’s mission was to move them from The Lightbox to Q12 on the back of a flat-bed truck, much to the delight of members of our park community, who were able to grab a sneak peek at each pooch before they gained the approval of their respective sponsors, and went on to take their places among the region’s many amazing landmarks. 

We sponsored our very own Snowdog, affectionately known as Robo Dog, who along with all of its litter mates, was auctioned off to a new owner, helping raise £250k for the charity once the 70-day public trail came to a close.

Our involvement, which required the discretion of all 6,000 members of the Quorum Park community to keep the trail’s final designs under wraps, was so successful that it sparked a wonderful, ongoing collaboration with the St Oswald’s team, who have since safely stored many items on site, including furniture that was upcycled to allow it to fetch a higher price in store, and vintage bric-a-brac and clothing, some of which has been sold to those based on the park, who enjoyed browsing a number of pop-up stalls in aid of the charity over the course of their working day.

In 2018, our partnership saw all 50 Elmers to be featured in the Great North Parade housed and previewed by potential sponsors on site, with park member Greggs making their mark as the first to adopt an elephant, having been introduced to Elmer by our Sustainability and Community Director Laura McGrath at a football match that took place on the park to raise much-needed funds for Children in Need.

Then, in 2023, Q11 became home to 45 giant Shaun the Sheep sculptures, as well as a flock of 70 mini Shauns, all of which were transformed from their initial blank canvas to feature a dazzling array of themes and designs by a huge host of artistic talents.

On this occasion, Quorum Park was honoured by the gift of one of these blank Shauns, and members of the park community took part in an on-site design workshop with local artist Jina Gelder, who interpreted the ideas put forward at the event to create 'A Shaun for all Seasons’, encapsulating the way in which nature and the great outdoors feed into the everyday lives of those based at Quorum.

In addition to the fact our collaboration has supported St Oswald’s Hospice to raise many hundreds of thousands of pounds over the last decade, it has also led to a huge sense of wellbeing for many individuals working across the park, who have taken part in fundraising events ranging from the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, a 100-mile cycle ride, charity clothes swaps and even a fantasy football league.

St Oswald’s is a much-loved member of our extended Quorum Park community, and its team is currently closer than ever, with some members working from our Q15 building while temporary works are carried out at their usual premises in Gosforth.

Laura McGrath said: “Our relationship with St Oswald’s Hospice is a special one, and the fact we are now marking a decade of incredible collaborations is a testament to that. But it also exemplifies the sense of community that exists at Quorum Park, but certainly doesn’t stop at its borders!

“We look forward to continuing to call such an amazing local organisation a partner in realising our vision for our community in the North East, and to supporting more of its initiatives over the next 10 years and beyond.”

Jane Hogan, Head of Fundraising at St Oswald’s Hospice said: “We are so grateful to Laura and the team at Quorum Park for their decade of support, where they have been unfailingly helpful, accommodating and enthusiastic. They have been real champions of our art trails and have welcomed our team into their Quorum family.

“As well as providing space for us to paint and install our trail sculptures, we have been welcomed with open arms during recent building work at the hospice which has left our own offices inaccessible. Coupled with the fundraising challenges various businesses have taken on to support our patients and families, Quorum Park and everyone who works there have proven themselves to be real hospice heroes. We are proud to work with them and be supported by them.”

Find out about the many ways in which you can support St Oswald’s Hospice at stoswaldsuk.org, and to stay up to date with all our charity and fundraising events, as well as other park news and stories, on the Quorum Park app, our Facebook and LinkedIn pages, on X (formerly Twitter) at @Quorum_Park or on Instagram.