The blank sculptures for Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT)’s Panda Meander art trail have arrived safely at Welch Group. They’ll be stored with us until they head off to their artists, ahead of the trail’s launch in Cambridge next spring.
It’s not every day a lorry load of pandas turns up at our warehouse. This October, the Panda Meander sculptures arrived from Poland. Each one was carefully wrapped for the journey, and the team unloaded them at our Duxford site.
They’re now tucked up safely in our warehouse, waiting to go to the artists who will give each panda its own design.
The delivery is a big step for the trail. It also marks the start of our hands-on work as Panda Meander’s official Logistics Partner.
What is Panda Meander?
For ten weeks in spring 2027, Addenbrooke’s Charity is bringing pandas to the streets, parks and open spaces of Cambridge. A talented artist will decorate each panda, and a local business or organisation will sponsor it. Together, the pandas will form a free, family-friendly art trail that celebrates the local community.
The money raised will help build the new Cambridge Children’s Hospital. It will also support the children and families treated across Children’s Services at Cambridge University Hospitals, including Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie.
Our role as Logistics Partner
Behind every panda that pops up on the trail is a great deal of careful planning and coordination. As Logistics Partner, we’re helping the charity move, store, install and support the trail. That starts with receiving the sculptures from Poland and getting them to and from the artists. It ends with placing every panda exactly where it needs to be when the trail opens.
It’s the same careful, practical work our team does every day. We’re proud to put it to work for a cause that matters to so many people in our region.
A cause close to home
“Addenbrooke’s touches so many families across our region, ours included. The trail does that lovely double thing of raising real money while putting a bit of colour and joy out onto the streets of Cambridge. Being able to support it with what we do best makes it even more worthwhile.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve been part of a Cambridge art trail. Three years ago we supported Cambridge Standing Tall Giraffe Sculpture Trail, and this time we’re also sponsoring a Welch Group panda of our own. We recently chose our design at the Panda Meander Sponsors’ Design Selection Event at the Museum of Zoology. We’re keeping the design literally under wraps for now, so you’ll have to wait for the trail to see it!
What happens next
Over the coming months, the pandas will leave our warehouse for the artists’ studios. They’ll then return, finished, ready to be installed, ahead of the trail’s launch in spring 2027.
We can’t wait to see them out on the trail!
Find out more about the Panda Meander fundraising event.
