Swindon 11-year-old is first to find every Big Dog Art Trail sculpture

Ryan Hall, of Badbury Park, signed up on the first day of the event and quickly tracked down all of the six-foot-tall Swindogs and 42 smaller Swinpups that are scattered across the borough.

Having started with the Dog Rogers Swindog outside The County Ground, Ryan and his mum went on to complete the haul of fibreglass balloon dog sculptures by just after midday on July 15.

His adventures took him to The Wyvern Theatre to meet the panto stars at the theatre’s launch event and up to Old Town, where he met artists Judy and Morgan Guillery, who have each designed their own sculpture.

Ryan said: “I’ve enjoyed going around collecting the Swindogs. It’s been really exciting and my favourites have been the space dog (Cosmo the Space Dog) or the pink and purple one (Creative Twist) by the station.

“It feels pretty nice to be the first person to complete The Big Dog Art Trail and I wasn’t expecting it.”

More than 3,000 Swindog seekers have walked for a total of 6,500 miles around the town and logged sculptures on the app 100,000 times since the event began in July.

People can use the app or physical map available to find each colourful creation.

When using the app, there are rewards available when each Swindog is unlocked that have been provided by the trail’s sponsors.

The trail is fully accessible and has been enjoyed by adults and children alike, including Becky Harrison from Freshbrook, who walked a total of 19 miles to collect all 72 sculptures.

Becky Harrison with a Swindog sculpture (Image: Mad Mash Media)

She said: “We had so much fun and it's a great activity to do as a family or just adults who are a bit bonkers, like us.

“As a person who is registered blind, I also wanted to say thank you for placing the dogs in accessible areas and for the dogs that were tactile, such as the one at Lydiard Park Gardens and the Penny for your Thoughts Dog at the Outlet.

“These were fantastic to have a feel and really explore the art. It was a brilliant experience and a day we'll never forget.”

The trail is raising money and awareness for Julia’s House children’s hospice, which provides a lifeline of care for the most seriously ill children and their families across Wiltshire and Dorset.

Chris Hyde, Big Dog Art Trail project manager, said: “We’re delighted to confirm that Ryan is ‘top dog’ on our app player leaderboard and officially the very first person to complete The Big Dog Art Trail!

“We were really pleased to meet Ryan and his family earlier today at the Wyvern Theatre when he was just over halfway through his mission.

“What a paw-some achievement, well done Ryan!

“We hope everyone else enjoys spotting all the Swindogs and Swinpups across Swindon this summer.”

The event is being held until September 3. After that a farewell finale will take place at the Steam Museum with all 72 Swindogs under one roof before the sculptures are auctioned off for charity.

Download The Big Dog Art Trail app to discover the sculptures, collect rewards and track your trail steps with the pedometer at www.bigdogarttrail.co.uk/app

Or pick up a trail map for a £1 donation from the Steam Museum shop, Lydiard House hotel, Swindon Hub, and other locations and libraries across town. See a full list of stockists at www.bigdogarttrail.co.uk/trail-map