Where It All Started

We had a dream…. well we had some thoughts, then a chat, more chatting which resulted in ‘Operation Seagull’! This is the original working party group of Hornsea Collective members who signed to work on developing this exciting idea into reality. Our plan was always to create an exciting sculpture trail designed to add to our beautiful seaside town of Hornsea.

There were loads of ideas and we were totally inspired by the Puffins Galore, Amy Johnson Moths, Phillip Larkin Toads and most recently ‘A Mischief of Rats’ sculpture trails across East Yorkshire and beyond. We were so fortunate that Rick Welton (the genius behind these sculpture trails) and his amazing team were willing to meet and share ideas, suggestions, things to consider - as well as share their contacts. This collaboration saved us so much time trying to start from the beginning without help even so the process still took over 18 months to properly begin. We have started our art sculpture trail with starfish as they are, also known as sea stars, critically important to marine ecosystems and a group of Starfish is called a ‘Galaxy’!

Our initial plan is for a sculpture trail to evolve over the next 3 years with an ever-growing sculpture trail - providing additional sculptures to view each year as our own coastal trail. We have future plans to work with other coastal villages and towns in the future to expand the sculpture trail along our seaside coast. The sculpture trail will initially be launched with 6 large (1.2m in diameter) wall mounted starfish in January 2026, followed by 6 more large starfish in June 2026 and then smaller starfish for individuals to decorate and add to the trail. We will need sponsorship to fund this art sculpture and will be working hard with local businesses and our community to make this become a reality so watch this space