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Wallace and Gromit sculptures arrive for new trail

Lucy Tegg
BBC News, Bristol
BBC A crowd of excited schoolchildren wave flags from behind a barrier as the Bristol Harbour railway train passes. On board are a number of Gromit sculptures, brightly painted in bold colours and designs. BBC
Crowds gathered to watch the arrival of new sculptures for the third Gromit Unleashed trail

The creator of Wallace and Gromit was joined by crowds to launch this year's Gromit Unleashed trail.

Fans of the Aardman characters will be able to visit the sculptures in 53 locations in and around Bristol from Monday.

The trail will raise money for The Grand Appeal, which supports Bristol Children's Hospital by funding research, supporting families and paying for life-saving equipment. Previous Gromit Unleashed trails raised more than £20m.

Nick Park, the creator of Wallace and Gromit, said: "People have worked so hard on the designs and decoration of these characters. It's just going to light up Bristol for the summer."

The third Gromit Unleashed trail was officially launched at Bristol Harbourside earlier, with sculptures arriving by steam train.

Nick Park sits on a bench, which features a Wallace sculpture, dressed like a chicken, holding a mug which says "chicken feed" on the side
Nick Park was at the helm of the steam train as it arrived into the city
A Gromit sculpture is lifted by crane on Bristol's harbourside. The brightly coloured piece is in the air, held by a rope. Other sculptures appear in the background.
The Jolly Roger sculpture was lifted from the train by a crane, before being delivered by boat to its trail location at Underfall Yard

"It's not my usual mode of transport to work," said Park.

"It was a great thrill to be on board. I felt like Feathers McGraw in The Wrong Trousers film driving the train, just not as fast."

Nick Park smiles at the camera. He is wearing a blue patterned shirt and a light blue blazer jacket. In the background, a number of sculptures are visible on the harbour steam train.
Nick Park unveiled some of the sculptures that make up this year's trail
A Gromit sculpture sits on the Bristol harbour steam train. It is decorated in the clothing of the Toy Story character, Woody. It has a yellow checked shirt, a cow print waistcoat, a brown cowboy hat, brown cowboy boots and blue trousers painted on.
The new sculptures have been designed by firms including animation studio, Pixar

A crowd watched as Park drove 12 sculptures of his characters, including Wallace, Gromit and Feathers McGraw. Some were designed by the likes of Pixar, Sir Paul McCartney and Lucas Films, which created the Star Wars franchise.

Park said: "For me to have my characters as a blank canvas for all these amazing artists, it's such a privilege."

A number of sculptures in place on board the harbour steam train, including several Feathers McGraw designs, one appears to be dressed like Darth Vadar
This year's trail includes a new character, Norbot the smart gnome
Brightly coloured sculptures of Wallace loaded on board the steam train, being taken along Bristol's harbourside
The sculptures will be in 53 locations in and around Bristol

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