HWB jumps into Hares of Hampshire sponsorship 

HARE APPARENT: Sarah Parish, left, and Michaela Johns, HWB Director, view one of the Hares of Hampshire ahead of this summer’s family-friendly art trail in Winchester and Southampton.  

The actor couple behind a public art trail aiming to raise vital funds towards children’s hospital care have thanked a Hampshire firm for its support.

Thousands of families will be able to follow the Hares of Hampshire walking trail in Winchester and Southampton this summer following sponsorship from businesses including leading accountants HWB.

The route will feature 30 six-foot-tall sculpted hares painted by artists, including many from Hampshire, and reflecting a variety of themes. It begins in June and lasts for ten weeks until the end of August.

Sarah Parish and James Murray, co-founders of  The Murray Parish Trust, say the help of HWB and fellow sponsors is ‘incredibly important’.

The aim of the trail is to raise money for new scanning equipment at the paediatric intensive care unit of Southampton Children’s Hospital.

HWB, who are already long-standing Trust supporters, are sponsoring the official map plotting the locations of the hares.

Sarah said: “Hares of Hampshire will be one of the biggest interactive public art trails that Southampton and Winchester have ever seen.

“We couldn’t hold such a huge, family-friendly initiative without the support of companies such as HWB. Their help is incredibly important.”

After viewing some of the early designs of the hares, HWB Director Michaela Johns said: “This trail promises to be a lot of fun for children and families. The designs are beautiful, decorative and colourful, and the hares will become landmarks and talking points.

“We already support the Murray Parish Trust, which was our charity of the year in 2018, and everyone in our team is thrilled to be on board with Hares of Hampshire.

“Aside from being part of a fun, summer initiative, many of us are parents and so naturally we’re keen to support the Trust’s fantastic work on behalf of paediatric care in Southampton.  

“With all the business sponsorship of the trail, and the auctioning of the hares at the end of the summer, hopefully Hares of Hampshire will raise a substantial sum towards new intensive care facilities relied on by hundreds of children and their families across the region.”

Husband and wife actors James and Sarah lost their first child Ella-Jayne, born premature, to a congenital heart defect in 2009.

The experience prompted them to co-found the Murray Parish Trust as a charity dedicated to the advancement of paediatric emergency medicine across the south of England.

The Trust has so far raised more than £5 million.

Chartered accountants HWB, headquartered in Chandler’s Ford near Southampton, provides business and tax advice.