The Grand Appeal

In 2025, The Grand Appeal’s fundraising team delivered the most ambitious and successful year in the charity’s 30 year history, centred around Gromit Unleashed 3, a record breaking public art trail that raised over £2 million for Bristol Children’s Hospital. Bringing together thirteen specialists across corporate, community, events, individual giving and philanthropy, the team balanced this large scale project alongside a full business as usual programme.

Their goal was to create the charity’s biggest, boldest and most innovative trail yet, surpassing previous fundraising results, expanding participation and engaging new audiences. After more than a year of planning, over 50 sculptures of Wallace, Gromit, Feathers McGraw and Norbot were unveiled across the region. The trail ran from the 30 June to 31 August, followed by a 15 day public exhibition and a spectacular live auction.

Each fundraising strand delivered exceptional outcomes: philanthropy achieved a record £1.6m at auction; community fundraising introduced the successful challenge event - Hot Dog Dash; corporate fundraising sold out sponsorship in record time; individual giving launched an accessible sculpture raffle; and the schools programme grew 625% from previous years in fundraising income

Their achievement strengthened community pride, boosted the regional economy and reaffirmed the charity’s reputation as an innovative fundraising leader.