A Flippin’ Great Success as Waddle-on-Sea Comes to a Close

September 11, 2025

Waddle-on-Sea has been hailed a huge success as it takes its final bow after seven weeks of colour, creativity, and family fun across Southend-on-Sea and Leigh-on-Sea.

All good trails must come to an end, and after a summer where 103 penguins waddled into the city, the sculptures are now preparing to leave the streets and head off on their next adventure.

The trail captured imaginations far and wide, with thousands of maps sold, over 5,000 app downloads and more than 340,000 sculptures collected.

Thousands of trail-goers from across the UK came to admire the penguins, helping to raise vital funds for Havens Hospices, the much-loved local charity that provides specialist care and support for people of all ages living with incurable conditions, as well as their families, in the local community.

Vanessa Harvey, Project Manager of Waddle-on-Sea, said, “We’re delighted to see how much people enjoyed the penguins, and the countless smiles they brought to Southend and Leigh.

“The care we provide at Havens Hospices is completely free and only made possible thanks to fundraising initiatives like Waddle-on-Sea. We’re so grateful to everyone who joined the trail – because of you, we can be here for families who need us most.”

The penguins will have some TLC before coming together one last time at the Farewell Weekend on the 13th and 14th September at Ipeco in Rochford, before being auctioned to find their forever homes on 25th September.

So far, the trail has raised nearly £300,000, with even more funds expected as penguin fans bid to own one of these unique works of art.

To book your tickets for the Farewell Weekend or find out how you can bid on a penguin at the auction, visit www.waddleonsea.co.uk

The charity is also inviting everyone who joined the trail to share their feedback about the experience, helping to shape future events and raise even more money for local families living with complex or incurable conditions. All completed surveys will be entered into a prize draw to win an iPad 11. Complete the survey at www.havenshospices.org.uk/evaluation.