George Baker Shipping proudly supported the St Elizabeth Hospice ‘Hop to It’ art trail as the official warehousing partner. The ‘Hop to It’ trail is a large public art event organised by the Hospice, which featured 131 artist-designed hare sculptures displayed across towns in Suffolk such as Ipswich and Felixstowe, with the goal of raising money to fund care and support for patients and families who rely on the Hospice services.
Our team handled the safe storage and movement of the hare sculptures from start to finish, first receiving the plain hares in November 2024, distributing them to the artists shortly after, taking delivery of the finished pieces and hosting a preview exhibition in April 2025 ahead of the trail which ran from June to August 2025. Once the trail concluded, the sculptures returned to our warehouse to be stored ahead of the charity auction in September 2025.
Thanks to our involvement, we were named as the sponsor of the “Moongazer” hare, designed by artist Donna Newman. After the auction, Moongazer became part of the George Baker Shipping family and is currently displayed on the landing area outside the office. It will stay there until Christmas and will then be donated back to St Elizabeth Hospice for permanent display in their garden.
The ‘Hop to It’ trail raised an incredible £414,177 in total, including £244,700 on the auction night alone. It has been a real privilege to support a project that has brought the local community together while raising vital funds for a charity that makes a huge difference across Suffolk. We would also like to acknowledge the valued support of Nigel Roberts and Megasteel Ltd throughout the project.
Our involvement was also recognised publicly when in November 2025 Chris Staunton attended the Mayor’s Parlour in Ipswich on behalf of the business. It was a great opportunity to hear first-hand how much the trail has meant to the Hospice and to the families it supports. George Baker Shipping is delighted to have played a small part in the success of the ‘Hop to It’ trail and to have been able to contribute in a way that reflects our strengths as a business and our commitment to the community we’re part of.
You can learn more about the ‘Hop to It’ trail here:
