June 4 2024

Up to 50 six-foot-high rats will feature in a radical new sculpture trail across Hull and East Yorkshire to raise funds for the vital work of The Daisy Appeal at Castle Hill Hospital

Organisers hope to raise up to £250,000 by encouraging organisations across the region to support this unique public art initiative by sponsoring the distinctly decorated giant Rats. 

The ‘Mischief of Rats’ will be unleashed in the summer of 2025 as a tribute to 60’s band The Rats, whose local musicians included Mick Ronson, probably best known as lead guitarist with David Bowie’s ‘Spiders from Mars’. Ronson sadly died from cancer aged just 46.

The team behind the Rats trail have built an impressive track record with previous projects: Puffins Galore, A Moth for Amy and Larkin Toads, which have raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for local charities.

“This is the most radical animal sculpture trail yet,” says the project’s co-director, Rick Welton. “A Mischief of Rats will see up to 50 giant artist decorated rat sculptures finding homes across East Yorkshire and Hull next Summer. The Grand Charity Auction at the end of the trail will raise much needed funds to support the vital work of the Castle Hill Hospital based charity, The Daisy Appeal, which helps advanced and detailed detection of cancer, heart disease and dementia through highly advanced PET-CT scanning techniques.”

The initiative was launched on Monday at the start of this year’s Biz Week. Previous trails have proved highly successful with the public and have attracted thousands of visitors to discover the unique colourful sculptures decorated by a wide variety of artists.

The cost of sponsoring a Rat is £4500 and these sponsorships cover all the costs of developing, creating, managing and promoting the trail. The Grand Charity Auction will be held in September 2025 and, along with profits from any merchandise sold, could raise up to £250,000.

Claire Levy, fund-raising manager for the Daisy Appeal said “We are really excited that A Mischief of Rats will be raising substantial funds in such an imaginative and high-profile initiative. The auction proceeds will be used to support our cutting-edge research and to purchase state-of-the-art equipment and facilities that are so important to improving the life-chances of patients living with cancer, heart disease and dementia in our region.”

More information and businesses who are interested in sponsorship should contact Rick Welton here

or phone: 07411 272367 or visit the website