Joust landed, over 30 castles to find across Swansea this summer

A moat-ally unique and exciting art trail has landed in the city of Swansea and you’re invited to join the fun.

Castles in the Sky, hosted by Wales Air Ambulance, is a fun, family-friendly, and free public art trail to enjoy this summer. Over 30 large giant castle sculptures and 20 miniature castles have landed in the city and the Charity is encouraging visitors and local people to take on the challenge of finding them all.

The interactive initiative, which encourages people to download the app and collect as many turrets as they can, starts on Saturday 6 July and ends on Saturday 15 September.

Wales Air Ambulance delivers advanced medical to people across Wales and relies on charitable donations to raise £11.2 million every year to keep its helicopters in the air and rapid response vehicles on the road.

The all-Wales Charity is passionate about its country and this event pays tribute to the great nation, intertwining Welsh culture, art and history – something the people of Wales are extremely proud of.

Sue Barnes, Wales Air Ambulance Charity Chief Executive, said: “Castles in the Sky intertwines Welsh culture, art and history. We hope visitors to Swansea and local people will enjoy the novelty of seeking out all the castles.

“From Lovebirds in SA1 to Nights in Shining Armour celebrating the city’s night life, to Up, Up and Away on Mumbles Pier, there is a potential selfie spot for everyone along the route!

“It’s also a wonderful way to shine a light on the talented artists we have in the UK, and it wouldn’t have been possible without our incredible sponsors.”

“We’d like to thank everyone who has made the “Castles in the Sky” trail happen! It’s been a massive team effort!

Each giant Castle, measuring over two metres tall, has been individually sponsored by a business and designed by an artist – each with their own tale to tell.

Schools, colleges, and youth groups have also joined in the fun and adopted a miniature castle, ‘a little keep-sake’ as part of a county-wide Community Programme.

The 10-week art trail is being delivered in partnership with creative producers, Wild in Art, and is supported by Principal Partner, Swansea Business Improvement District (BID).

Russell Greenslade, Chief Executive of Swansea BID, said: “It’s been three years in the making and all the businesses are really excited to be working in partnership with Wales air ambulance.

“Swansea BID is part of a wider based network in the UK, there are around 350. We’ve seen the amazing impact of trails like this happen in other areas and are confident it is going to get the same reaction here.”

The Wales Air Ambulance Charity has been Swansea BID’s chosen charity for the last couple of years.

Russell added: “It really hits home the importance of the service when you see the helicopter in the sky, so we hope this will raise awareness and funds too.

“We know the trail historically in other areas has raised an awful lot of money for charity and we are pretty positive that the air ambulance will receive the same support this Summer.”

Other partners of the trail are BDP Wales as printing partner and Owens Group as logistics partner. Each partner has sponsored their own castle on the trail.

The other castle sponsors are; Compare My Insurance, Morris Lubricants and Morris Leisure, Valero Energy Ltd, Bluestone Brewing Co, First Cymru, Marston’s, Delta Hotels by Marriott Swansea, reTHINK PR & Marketing, Albert Hall, Slater & Gordon, Gower College Swansea, Towergate Insurance Brokers, Swansea Council, Addysg Seren, Plates4Less, Transport for Wales, Ascona Group, Tower’s Hotel & Spa, Wellies Farm & Garden CIC, Morgan & Morgan, Barratt Homes, R&M Williams, Western Bay Adoption Service, Plough & Harrow, Men and Mountains and Kingsland Auction Services.

Without the support of these businesses, the trail would be unable to go ahead.

Sue said: “We have loved creating this special trail alongside our partners and sponsors. We’d like to thank everyone who has made the ‘Castles in the Sky’ trail happen! It’s been a massive team effort!

Wild in Art has a history of delivering world-class events that entertain, enrich, inform, and leave a legacy. To date, its events have contributed more than £19 million to charitable causes and helped millions of people to experience art in non-traditional settings.

Charlie Langhorne, Wild in Art Managing Director, and Co-founder said: “We are very excited to be working with Wales Air Ambulance to produce Castles in the sky, which we hope has a very positive impact.”

Residents and visitors, of all ages, can get involved and explore the trail using a bespoke map and mobile app. The app allows those taking part to track their progress, add photos to a gallery and earn and redeem rewards. To download the app, search ‘Castles in the Sky’ in Google Play or the App Store.

Trail maps are also available to collect from the Wales Air Ambulance charity shops in Swansea.

After entertaining and bringing communities together the legacy of Castles in the Sky will continue. Many of the sculptures will take centre stage at a glittering auction to raise vital funds for Wales Air Ambulance.

Sue concluded: “These wonderful pieces of art will bring joy throughout the summer, but once they go under the hammer, their legacy will live on, by ultimately helping to save lives across Wales.”