Cambridge Standing Tall is the next art sculpture trail to hit the streets of Cambridge following the success of Cows about Cambridge in Summer 2021. It is delivered by regional charity Break, in partnership with Wild in Art.

Around 32 Tall Gs and 50 Mini Gs will form a trail around the city centre in Spring 2024.

The Tall Gs will be decorated by an artist and sponsored by a local business and the smaller Mini Gs form the Learning & Community Programme trail, where schools and community groups will be getting creative to decorate their own sculpture which will be returned to them after the trail ends.

Many of the sculptures will be auctioned off at an event in Cambridge in June 2024, after the trail has ended. Money raised will allow Break to stand tall together with care leavers across Cambridge and Cambridgeshire as they leave care and make their next steps into independence as young adults. While they might have a harder mountain to climb, the right support means that there is really nothing out of reach.

The 50 Mini Gs will be returned to the school or community groups that created them.

We appreciate it is not every day you see a giraffe strolling across Parker’s Piece, or doing a spot of shopping at the Grafton Centre, but we hope you’ll welcome these gentle giants with open arms into your city.

It was important to us to choose a sculpture that would stand out from the crowd and made a visually contrasted with the cows of 2021.

But what we love most of all is the connection with the young people in Break’s care. The giraffe’s spots are like a fingerprint, meaning they are all unique, much like the young people the trail will support.

The sculptures have been the inspiration behind the name of the trail and we hope as you navigate the trail next year, you’ll stand tall together with incredible young adults leaving the care system, letting them know that there is nothing out of their reach.

Between now and June 2023, we’re on the lookout for a herd of 32 businesses to help make this trail a reality. Head over to our sponsors pages to find out more about what’s involved, and what previous organisations have said about their involvement.

50 Mini Gs will be decorated by local schools and community groups before forming their very own trail in spring 2024. We are currently selling Learning and Community Programme packages to schools and community groups, with the early bird discount ending on 30 June 2023. Head to our Learning & Community Programme page to find out more, and enquire about getting involved.

Yes! We’ve opened up recruitment for our volunteer Trail Rangers. Expect plenty of fun while you look after these gentle giants on the streets of Cambridge next year with a range of roles available – from weekly giraffe washing to stewarding at events and more!

There will be plenty of giraffing around to take part in next spring, but for now if you’re interested in what events we run as a charity, check out these pages.

Break is a charity working across East Anglia to pave the way for a brighter future for children and young people who have experienced the care system.

We have a unique promise to all the children and young people in our care: a lifelong offer of support. This means we will walk alongside young people for however long they need us, standing tall together until they are ready for independence. And our support means we’re not just here to find a way through the bad days, but here to celebrate the good ones too.

Experiencing care can be lonely. People come and go, and it’s not unusual to experience multiple houses which rarely become homes. It often feels out of control. Break’s aim is to pull young people in close, allowing them to feel like they’re part of something special: a family that means you’re never alone.