FULL-FIBRE broadband provider toob will donate £1 each for the first 2,000 people who scan their hare on the Hares of Hampshire app.
toob have partnered up with the Murray Parish Trust and their free public art display the Hares of Hampshire trail.
The 10-week trail across Winchester and Southampton showcases giant, vibrant hares that have been painted by local artists and each sponsored by a different business. toob sponsored one of the 32 hares which can now be seen on Above Bar Street, in Southampton.
The public exhibition designed to bring the community together through art and culture started on Thursday June 16 and will run until August 25.
Trail organisers actress Sarah Parish (from Broadchurch) and husband and actor James Murray (from The Crown) set up the Murray Parish Trust after the loss of their baby girl in 2009. They created the hares trail to further fundraise for the trust and paediatric medicine in Southampton.
Sarah Parish said: “The relationship we have with toob is a perfect example of how a business and charity can come together and build a successful, jointly beneficial partnership. We are delighted to have them on board as a sponsor for Hares of Hampshire and are very much enjoying working with them on this event.”
The full-fibre broadband provider, based in Southampton, went beyond their sponsorship role, pledging to donate £1 each for the first 2000 people who scan their Hare on the Hares of Hampshire app.
CEO of toob, Nick Parbutt said: “We are proud to support the Hares of Hampshire. From our first call with Sarah and the team at the Trust it was clear that this was an initiative we had to support. The Trust does amazing work in raising vital funds to equip Southampton’s Children’s Hospital with advanced technology to improve the care of children across the South of England. We are truly honoured to have been invited to participate and The Paint Barn has created a wonderful sculpture.
“Our hare is named McGregor in memory of our chairman who would have been the first to support this initiative.”
SEE MORE: Hares of Hampshire: 10 sculptures installed in Winchester
The classic car restoration business, the Paint Barn, were commissioned by toob and painted their hare using vehicle restoration techniques to create a shiny metallic finish.
Owners of the Paint Barn, Clare Thornton and Paul Baker said: “We wanted to experiment with a technique, colour and finish that would likely not be used on one of our car restorations. We enjoyed selecting the colours, doing spray outs and coming up with a final colour which would meet our sponsors wishes.
“We enjoyed the idea of getting involved in a very worthwhile local project and producing a piece of artwork that we could be proud of, and that people would enjoy looking at. The opportunity to help raise funds for such a worthy cause was not something we wanted to miss.”
A charity auction, open to the public, will be held in September where all the hares including McGregor will be auctioned off to raise money for the Murray Parish Trust.
For more information on the Hares of Hampshire, visit: www.haresofhampshire.co.uk.
Toob are currently rolling out their full-fibre network across September. For more go to www.toob.co.uk for more information on the artist go to www.paintbarn.co.uk.
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