Bus passengers and ‘Brizzle Icons’ raising thousands for charity

First Bus is about to unveil its specially designed ‘Brizzle Icons’ unicorn as part of Bristol’s Unicornfest – a trail of sculptures across the city and West of England decorated by local artists.

The two month-long fundraising event, which starts on 1 July and is in aid of Leukaemia Care, is part of Bristol’s 650^th celebrations, marking over six centuries since Bristol was granted a royal charter, making it a county in its own right.

As well as sponsoring the trail, between 1 July and 1 September, First Bus is also donating 25p to Leukaemia Care for every £10 West of England group ticket it sells on the First Bus app, which allows up to five people unlimited day travel on all First buses and metrobuses in the West of England.

Sixty unicorns, stretching from Bristol to Weston-super-Mare, will create a colourful West of England trail, with life-sized sculptures popping up at iconic locations including Ashton Gate Stadium, Clifton Suspension Bridge, Cheddar Gorge, Weston-super-Mare’s famous pier, and First Bus’ unicorn on the second floor of Cabot Circus.

The First Bus unicorn has been designed and painted by former theatre costume designer, Bristol-based artist Cock Dicks, whose favourite icon she has painted on the First Bus statue is a drunk glass of cider. She said: “There are so many iconic landmarks and things quintessentially Bristolian, that I wanted to capture them with my own weird spin on them, hence the name Brizzle Icons.”

Rob Pymm, First West of England’s Commercial Director, said: “This is such a fun and worthwhile project to get involved with; not only does it bring the best of Bristol together in a wonderful trail of brilliantly designed sculptures, but it’s also helping to raise money for Leukaemia Care.

“Cock Dicks has done a brilliant job with our unicorn by capturing everything that says Bristol in what will be an eye-catching addition to Cabot Circus. And with 60 unicorns dotted around the West of England, what better way to enjoy the trail then to hop on buses and try to visit most of them.”

For those visiting First Bus’ unicorn in Cabot Circus, the bus operator is also offering one lucky winner a signed print of the ‘Brizzle Icons’ design and a year’s free bus travel, simply for identifying all the icons featured in the design. To enter, visit the First Bus website.

The website also offers a list of bus routes passing by most of the 60 unicorns on the trail. Find out more about the Bristol Unicornfest on its website.