Sir David Attenborough has given his stamp of approval to Norfolk’s GoGoDiscover trail, after learning one of the T.rex sculptures was inspired by his love of the natural world.
The national treasure and world-famous naturalist is the inspiration for Sirdavidsaurus, one of the 55 T.rex sculptures in the Norwich area that feature alongside 24 mammoths scattered across the county, to raise vital funds for Break.
The dinosaur is designed by Norwich artist Faye Rackham and features 56 different species.
She wrote to her sculpture’s namesake, and her hero, to tell him about her artwork and the meaning behind it.
Two days later she received a hand-written letter from the man himself, from his home in Surrey, describing the sculpture as “a truly extraordinary concept and a compliment without parallel”.
“I couldn’t believe it when I opened the envelope,” explains Ms Rackham. “I expected it to be a standard letter from his team but to receive something so personal, and from someone that I have admired since I was very young, was just incredible and completely overwhelming. I was brought to tears!”
Ms Rackham, who was diagnosed with autism in her 30s, says she found his voice to be a soothing presence when she was growing up and would become immersed in his documentaries.
"There was so much to remember, and I loved being able to record all the locations, lifespans and scientific names in my head,” Ms Rackham continued.
“I became a walking fact file for everything to do with the natural world. It helped me to feel myself and escape from the everyday.
“I now call my autism my superpower as it allows me to focus in on all these details which helps me create intricate artwork.”
Along with the letter, Ms Rackham sent the 96-year-old photos of her sculpture and a spreadsheet detailing all 56 species that can be found on Sirdavidsaurus.
These include a pangolin, one of the most trafficked animals in the world, a polar bear, to represent climate change, and a mountain gorilla.
She also included a sketch of a Picathartes gymnocephalus, one of the birds – a White-necked Rockfowl - which stood out for her at the age of 12 when she first watched his Life of Birds series.
Sir David said in his letter he was unlikely to make it to Norwich before the trail ends on September 10.
Ms Rackham now has a tattoo of Sirdavidsaurus and the natural historian’s signature.
SIR DAVID’S LETTER IN FULL
Dear Faye Rackham
Thank you very much for your letter. I am extremely complimented that you should have chosen me – and the animals I have encountered – as the subject of your astounding sculpture.
It is a truly extraordinary concept and compliment without parallel. I only wish I were able to see it. Sadly, I see no chance of my being able to visit Norwich during its exhibition.
Thanks too for sending me your lovely – and extremely accurate – painting of Picathartes gymnocephalus. I am truly delighted to have it.
With regards, thanks and best wishes,
David Attenborough
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The environment is a recurring theme on this year’s GoGoDiscover trail.
Rachael Butler, a design artist and art tutor from north Norfolk, has used her sculptures to encourage people to have courage to protect the earth.
Her mammoth, Yuuki, at Great Yarmouth Market, depicts our world in two ways with one side showing a positive, sustainable world of beautiful creatures and landscapes, whilst the other shows a world crippled by forest fires, litter and pollution.
Similarly, her T.rex sculpture, Teo, found in Pulls Ferry, Norwich, also touches on rare species and extinction, such as the Polynesian tree snail and the Ghost Orchid plant.
At the Sainsbury Centre, at the UEA, visitors can find another of the sculptures which cherishes nature and wildlife, thanks to Norwich-based textile designer, Ali Cottrell.
There’s No Planet B is a colourful mammoth with a bold and bright design featuring animals in danger of extinction, as well as at-risk habitats both under the sea and in the jungle.
Trail organisers, Break, who deliver GoGoDiscover with Wild in Art, have also taken careful steps to improve the environmental credentials of the trail.
Pete Marron, GoGoDiscover project manager, said: “We have made real effort to cut down on the number of paper trail maps we produce and are encouraging people to download the GoGoDiscover trail app instead.
“The app also features a pedometer which encourages people to walk between sculptures and we’ve developed a 5k trail route which is ideal for walkers, runners and cyclists to use as a method to keep active whilst spotting a number of the sculptures around Norwich city centre.
“We have utilised every inch of our GoGoDiscover warehouse and painting space, therefore cutting down on unnecessary deliveries and carbon miles. Approximately 20pc of our plinths have been made from wood, which will be recycled at the end of the trail, plus we hope to re-use our concrete plinths for other trails in future.
“Instead of transporting all the sculptures to a farewell event, we will instead be celebrating them in-situ at a farewell festival across Norwich and Norfolk on the final weekend of the trail.”
SUMMER FUN
The 2022 GoGoDiscover trail T.rex and mammoth sculptures will be on display until Saturday, September 10, when they will be removed for the annual auction to raise further funds for Break.
The project aims to raise crucial cash for the charity, which makes life better for children and young people who are on the edge of care, in care and leaving care.
You can locate the 79 sculptures by downloading the GoGoDiscover app for £1.79 on your mobile device or picking up a map - for a suggested donation of £1 - from trail map hubs including The Forum, the Royal Arcade, Jarrold, the Pensthorpe gift shop, Duke’s Head Hotel in King’s Lynn, Sea View Café in West Runton and Break retail shops across the county.
- One of the GoGoDiscover trail’s supporting partners is Chantry Place, with the Norwich shopping centre currently hosting six T.rex sculptures as well as 31 of the miniature Breakasaurus T.rex sculptures.
CAN YOU COLLECT THEM ALL?
The GoGoDiscover Norwich and Norfolk 2022 Sticker Book is on sale now, with 78 stickers to collect including 12 special shiny stickers.
The 60-page book is priced at £5 and includes full details and trail maps. The book and stickers, priced at £1 for a pack of five, can be purchased from East of England Co-op stores, Langleys Toys and Games and independent retailers.
They can also be purchased online from norfolkstore.co.uk/go-go-discover, where bundles of a sticker book and 20 packs are available for just £15.
For the duration of the trail, each edition of the EDP, Evening News, Great Yarmouth Mercury, Dereham Times, Fakenham & Wells Times, Beccles & Bungay Journal, Lowestoft Journal and North Norfolk News will include a voucher that you can redeem from retailers for a free pack of stickers - plus each Saturday edition of the EDP and Evening News will include double vouchers.
If you’re on the hunt for swaps, head down to the GoGoDiscover exhibition at The Forum, where stickers are available in exchange for a donation – alongside merchandise and much more.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here