A sculpture trail of towering proportions is taking over Cambridge this spring as more than 90 gentle giants from the African plains gallop onto the city’s streets.
Here’s our complete guide to everything you need to know.
What is it?
Following the success of the Cows about Cambridge trail in 2021, local charity Break, together with delivery partners Wild in Art and trail partners Cambridge BID and Alan Boswell, are bringing a brand new sculpture trail to the streets of the city from 21 March until 2 June, 2024.
Cambridge Standing Tall features 31 beautifully decorated giraffe sculptures, all sponsored by a local business and designed by an established national or regional artist. Trotting alongside them are more 60 ‘Mini Gs’, each created by local schools and community groups as part of the trails Learning and Community programme, designed to spark young people’s creativity.
Not only will these beautiful creatures capture the imagination of Cambridge residents and visitors alike and giving them the opportunity to explore new areas of the historic city, they’ve also got a very important job to do – to help raise the vital funds for Break to continue its vital work in supporting the county’s young care leavers.
How do I see them?
To hunt down all 93 of these gentle giants, look out for the map and ticksheet within the exclusive 8-page guide inside the Cambridge Independent, out from Wednesday, 20 March. You can all see all the locations for the 31 large giraffe sculptures below.
Trail maps can also be found at these hubs around the city:
Hilton Cambridge City Centre
Cambridge BID Ambassadors at Peas Hill or CB1 near train station
Gonville Hotel
Heffers Bookstore
Break shop, Sawston
Storey’s Field Centre Eddington
Novotel Cambridge North
And you can also download the official Cambridge Standing Tall App, which includes an interactive map.
What’s on the app?
In addition to the interactive map, the app also allows you to collect the sculptures using the four-digit code found on the sculptures plaques. And when you unlock some of the giraffes, you could get a milestone reward, which varies from a 50 per cent discount at Banham Zoo or Africa Alive, to grabbing a free coffee from Brew Eddington, to downloadable giraffe-themed games.
Collect rewards, vote for your favourite giraffe, and add your photos to the gallery via the app, which you can download from the App Store or Google Play for £1.99 with all proceeds donated to Break.
When can I visit?
The trail is live from the 21 March through to 2 June. Most of the giraffes can be visited 24/7 but some are located inside venues such as shopping centres, libraries and hotels so it’s worth checking with the venue before you visit. The map shows which sculptures are inside.
What happens if we notice a giraffe isn’t looking it’s best?
If you spot any damage, please call 01603 670460 and include details of the giraffe name, location and the damage detail.
How can I share the trail?
You can share yourself with the giraffes on social media using the hashtag #bemoregiraffe, and tag in @breaktrailcambs
Where are the large giraffe sculptures?
You’ll find the 31 gentle giants at:
Eddington Avenue
Eddington Square
West Hub, JJ Thomson Avenue
University of Cambridge Library
St John’s Street / All Saints Passage
St John’s Street
St Mary’s Street
Great St Mary’s Church x 2
Peas Hill, Market Square
Graduate Cambridge, Riverside Garden
Hilton Cambridge City Centre
Grand Arcade x 2
Lion Yard Shopping Centre x 2
Drummer Street
Christ’s Pieces
New Square Park
The Grafton, Ground Floor
Anglia Ruskin University, East Road
Parker’s Piece, Football Monument
Parker’s Piece, Hobbs Pavilion
Parker’s Piece, Regent Terrace
Gonville Hotel
Hills Road War Memorial
Food Park Station Road
One Station Square
Station Place
Cambridge North Station Concourse
Cambridge North Milton Avenue
Who’s behind the trail?
Delivered by Break in partnership with Wild in Art, Cambridge Standing Tall wouldn’t be possible without the big hearts of the businesses and organisations across Cambridgeshire.
Principal partner: Cambridge BID
CEO Maria Manion says: “We are truly excited about the Cambridge Standing Tall giraffe trail coming into the city. Following on from the success of the Cows about Cambridge trail, Cambridge BID is proud to work with Break in bringing 90 giraffes across the city in a wonderful trail. There are so many different designs to see, I am sure everyone will have their own favourite, but the colour they will bring to the city will be amazing.
“For anyone who would like to own one of the giraffes they will be the opportunity to bid one at the auction in June – when you buy one of the striking and colourful giraffes you will also be supporting a wonderful charity who work supporting young people. We do hope that residents, employees, and visitors to the town will have a wonderful time completing the giraffe trail while also exploring our wonderful city.”
Presenting partner: Alan Boswell
Lee Boswell, marketing director, said: “We're pleased to support the spirit of community and creativity in Cambridge through our sponsorship of Break’s Standing Tall trail. The trails are wonderful for the city and the wider community, supporting the economy while realising meaningful change for those in need.”
Supporting partners
Cambridge Independent
Cambridge City Council
Pentaco Construction Limited
Welch’s Transport
Sculpture sponsors
Aspiration Europe
First Copy
The Gonville Hotel
Hilton Cambridge City Centre
Lion Yard
Grand Arcade
eduroam
Anglia Ruskin University
Milton Hall
Zing Insights
Graduate Cambridge
The Hill Group at Knights Park
Eddington Cambridge
Carter Jonas
University of Cambridge
The Grafton
Bridge Partners
Zoological Society of East Anglia (ZSEA)
Railpen
The Perse Prep School
West Hub
Fora
Friends of Cambridge Standing Tall
Healeys Printers
Furthermore Marketing
Cambridge Assessment
Primary Times
Cambridgeshire Music
Xaar
Why a giraffe?
With the trail raising funds for young care leavers, Break explains that the giraffe was the obvious choice for
1 They have really big hearts. Not all that surprising – there could be up to 5.5m between a giraffe’s hooves and the ossicones on the top of its head. To achieve this feat, a giraffe's heart is two feet long, 11kg in weight, and is strong enough to give giraffes the highest blood pressure of any mammal. For the young people that Break support, they need someone with a big heart give them all the love and support they need to help them reach their full potential.
2 They’re all unique. A giraffe's spots are like a fingerprint, just like the young people that this trail will support, every one is unique.
3 They like roaming around in groups called towers. If we are to stand tall in spring 2024, we’ll do that much better in a group, and giraffes agree. They usually live in herds of 15 and support one another on the African plains, just as we work together with our young people to make sure they never feel alone.
4 They are the tallest land mammals. Cambridge Standing Tall will make a big impression, and what better to use than a sculpture of this majestic giant. The Tall Gs will be 2.5m in stature and the Mini Gs will measure up at 1.5m but their real-life compatriots can tower over 5m in height! Through Break’s life-long offer to all the young people they support, they always stand tall with the young people so they know that nothing is out of their reach.
The auction
Once the giraffes have been herded off the streets, many will be going under the hammer at a charity auction, hosted by celebrity auctioneer Natasha Raskin Sharp from show’s including Bargain Hunt and Flog It! You can register your interest in attending the auction with a catalogue available online soon at cambridgestandingtall.co.uk, where you can also find out more about the trail.
