Pride of Portsmouth lions to reunite at Historic Dockyard

All 45 Pride of Portsmouth lion sculptures are set to be reunited for the first time next month following the end of the city-wide summer trail.

The sculptures will come together at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard on Saturday 3 October as part of the Our Naval City Festival, one of the major events marking Portsmouth’s centenary year.

The Pride of Portsmouth trail launched in July as part of Portsmouth100 and encouraged residents and visitors to explore the city in search of 45 individually designed lions and a unicorn.

Over the past two months, the free family-friendly trail has highlighted Portsmouth’s heritage, culture and communities while bringing together artists, sponsors and community groups.

Figures from the trail app show 11,799 people used it, recording more than 263,000 sculpture collections and covering a combined 3,040 miles.

The most collected sculpture was One Hundred Voices: A Portsmouth Patchwork, which was recorded 7,115 times, while Cushty received the most votes with 377.

Organisers say the true number of participants is likely to have been higher because the figures do not include people who followed the trail using paper maps.

The reunion at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard will form one of the centrepieces of the free Our Naval City Festival.

The event, organised by The Mary Rose Museum and Portsmouth Historic Quarter, will also feature talks led by the University of Portsmouth, family activities, market stalls, charity stands and live music.

Visitors will still be able to collect sculptures through the Pride of Portsmouth app during the event, although the rewards programme ended when the trail closed on 13 September.

Cllr Steve Pitt, Leader of Portsmouth City Council, said: "What started as an ambitious idea to celebrate Portsmouth's centenary has become one of the highlights of Portsmouth100.

"The Pride of Portsmouth trail has brought people together, encouraged thousands of residents and visitors to explore different parts of our city and showcased the creativity, talent and community spirit that makes Portsmouth so special.

"As the trail has come to an end, we're delighted that people will have the opportunity to see all 45 lions together for the very first time at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. It's a fitting way to celebrate the success of the trail and look ahead to the Portsmouth100 finale in January."

Charlie Langhorne, Managing Director and Co-founder of Wild in Art, said: "It's been wonderful to see the joy Pride of Portsmouth has brought to thousands of people this summer.

"Seeing so many people exploring Portsmouth, discovering new places and spending time together is exactly what these events are all about.

"The upcoming reunion of all the lions promises to be a spectacular sight and memorable finale to the trail."

The Pride of Portsmouth project will continue after the reunion, with many of the sculptures set to move to permanent homes across the city and beyond.

Plans are also being developed for a future auction of selected sculptures, with proceeds proposed to support a legacy project focused on opportunities for young people in Portsmouth.

Portsmouth100 celebrations are due to conclude with a final event in January.

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