A spectacular art trail letting a number of balloon dog sculptures loose in Swindon has scored its latest sponsor after teaming up with the town's football club.

The signing is a big scoop for the trail, which is coming to Swindon this summer from July 15 to September 3, 2023, in aid of Julia’s House children’s hospice.

The trail features 30 large balloon dog sculptures called Swindogs and more than 40 smaller Swinpup sculptures.

One of the Swindogs will be lacing up its boots as it takes pride of place at the County Ground with a special design, painted by Swindon artist Steve Curtis, dedicated to the Town legend and League Cup winner Don Rogers.

The Trust is sponsoring the Swindon-designed sculpture, with Swindon Town supporting the trail with rewards that will feature in the trail app, such as free tickets to matches and the chance to win a signed Swindon Town shirt.

Steve Mytton, chairman of TrustSTFC, commented: “When we heard about The Big Dog Art Trail and in particular, Dog Rogers, we thought it would be a great thing for us to support.

“As a Supporters' Trust, we are very community-driven, and anything that helps the charity and brings families to the County Ground is a good thing in our books.

“We are currently having a Don Rogers statue designed, and it will be finished later this year, so having Dog Rogers in place in the meantime is a nice way to lead up to that.

“We're excited to be a part of this and hope to see many Swindon Town fans out on the trail collecting rewards and supporting a great cause."

Swindon Town CEO Rob Angus added: “This is a great initiative that will encourage families to get out and about around Swindon and raise valuable funds for a fantastic charity in the shape of Julia’s House, which does incredible work across our local community."

Chris Hyde, The Big Dog Art Trail project manager, said: “We’re excited to share the Dog Rogers design and hope to see as many Town fans out on the trail collecting the rewards as possible.”

At the end of the trail, the Dog Rogers-designed sculpture will join all the others at a grand farewell weekend. The giant, one-of-a-kind creations will then head off to their forever homes after being adopted at a special auction event to raise money for Julia’s House children’s hospice.

To find out how to become a sponsor, visit www.bigdogarttrail.co.uk/sponsors