As one of the sponsors of the Hunstanton gorilla sculpture, part of the GoGoSafari trail, Searles Leisure Resort is proud to be supporting the trail of wild animal sculptures, which spans city to coast and raises vital funds for local charity Break. Read more about the colourful display of sculptures and get involved – don’t forget to share your snaps of the Hunstanton gorilla and tag us and the charity on social media with the #GoGoSafari hashtag!
What’s it all about? GoGoSafari Norwich & Norfolk 2025
If you’re out and about in Norfolk this summer, you’ll undoubtedly spot some curious beasts on the streets of Norwich and across the county, including a magnificent gorilla in Searles’ home town of Hunstanton.
From 23 June – 30 August, 51 sculptures, including gorillas, rhinos, giraffes, lions and elephants which have been decorated by talented artists and sponsored by local businesses, will be on display across the county. The GoGoSafari trail is a brilliant fundraising effort by East Anglian charity Break in partnership with Wild in Art and the Zoological Society of East Anglia, along with Norwich BID and Chantry Place, and raises vital funds to support young people living in and moving on from care.
Once the trail is unveiled, anyone can join in the fun and follow the parade of wild animals by picking up a map for a donation of £1 from the Safari HQ at The Forum in Norwich or downloading the GoGoSafari app.
Gorilla spotted in Hunstanton!
Hunstanton’s gorilla sculpture, which Searles Leisure Resort is proudly part-sponsoring, has been decorated by artist Hilary Sanderson, who has been involved in Break’s sculpture trails since the charity’s first GoGoGorilla trail in 2013. At that time, Hilary was working at a school which Break supported with respite holidays and activities for pupils.
Hilary’s art is inspired by nature and the charity approached her to create an intricate design incorporating bees for this year’s Hunstanton gorilla. “My work is largely abstract,” says Hilary, “and the Hunstanton gorilla design includes flowers, sunflowers and bees, inspired by ‘Sunny Hunny’. Hunstanton has an extra special place in my heart as I used to take the kids I worked with during those Break summer camps up to the coast there. Without Break those children would never have had a holiday, so it’s really important to me.”
Each of the animals featured in the trail represents a core aspect of Break’s work, and the gorilla, which in nature has a strong sense of family, nurturing, protecting and playing together, reflects the charity’s fostering service which gives children in its care love, safety and fun.
Break, making life better for young people in East Anglia
“Break was borne out of respite services for children with disabilities, and the seaside has always been a place the children visited, so we wanted the trail to lead from the city to the coast,” explains Ellie Edge, partnerships manager at Break.
“GoGoSafari will be the fifth trail we’ve delivered in the county and will help us to raise money as well as awareness of our work as people follow the trail from Norwich and finish their journey in Hunstanton. Each of the animal sculptures is unique and has a different theme, so it’s great fun to see as many of the decorated animals as you can along the way.”
With the wild animal sculptures installed from mid-June, the trail will be live for ten weeks during the school summer holidays, offering a fun family activity to be explored over several days. After the trail finishes, the sculptures will be auctioned to raise money for Break’s vital work. “While some services such as children’s home and fostering receive funding from local authorities, much of our wrap-around work, such as residential stays, opportunities to gain work experience and skills on our CoffeeBreak van, or helping young people leaving care move into a safe home, so the money raised by the GoGoSafari trail will directly help children and young people in East Anglia get the opportunities every young person deserves.”
“Searles Leisure Group is delighted to be one of the sponsors of the Hunstanton gorilla and to support Break with its GoGoSafari sculpture trail,” says Carolyn Johnson, marketing and PR manager at Searles Leisure Group. “As a company we’ve been welcoming guests to enjoy a fun family holiday in Hunstanton for more than 70 years, and we hope many of those coming to stay with us this summer will spot the Hunstanton gorilla, be inspired and get involved by following the GoGoSafari trail on a wonderful adventure while supporting a fantastic cause.”
Learn more about the GoGoSafari.
