1st September 2022
Hares of Hampshire
Williams Shipping have been the proud logistics partners for Hares of Hampshire throughout the latter part of 2021 and into 2022. 31 hares in total have formed the Hares of Hampshire trail throughout Winchester and Southampton this summer. This has been the biggest art event for both cities and a collaboration between the Murray Parish Trust and Wild in Art.
Williams Shipping provides storage for plinths and Hares
Our cargo yard provided an area for storing the plinths that the hares would eventually sit on. These were then followed a few months later by the finished giant hare sculptures which our transport team collected on 30 pallets.
These magnificent sculptures were really something to behold. Created by local artists, many of the designs had links or references to the 2 cities that they would be displayed in. Our own mosaic-designed hare was created by Sophie Handy and called “The Wishing Hare”.
How the Hares arrived at their destinations
Our logistics team had a busy time in June prior to the start of the trail. Careful planning meant that our yard was busy with hares being bolted on to their plinths; our forklift driver positioning them with precision on to our trailers; and then our drivers strapping them securely using ratchet straps.
The hares were transported in 2 separate loads, one carrying all the hares that would form the Winchester trail and one with the hares for Southampton’s trail. Our trailers were perfect for the job, each being 13.5 metres in length and 2.5 metres wide, and easily able to carry the 22.5 tonne which made up the combined weight of the plinths and hares. The hares themselves are lightweight as they are made of fibreglass and resin, but each plinth weighted 750kg so with 15 on each trailer, we needed to ensure the right equipment was in place.
Our driver Paul delivered the hares to Winchester, and they were offloaded at King Alfred Statue and the Great Hall. It was then over to a local farmer and his telehandler to deliver each hare to their new home for the next 10 weeks.
In Southampton, our driver Haydn delivered the hares to Guildhall Square and Western Esplanade and Southampton City Council took them to their individual places.
The end of a busy summer
The Hares of Hampshire trails finished on 25th August, and Williams Shipping were on hand to collect the hares. 15 hares were collected from Winchester, and 16 were collected from 2 separate locations in Southampton, Guildhall Square and Western Esplanade.
The Hares are now sitting in our yard until their farewell event in Winchester mid-September.
Vital Funds raised
The Hares of Hampshire trail has proved very successful in raising important funds for the Murray Parish Trust, which supports children’s emergency services across the south of England. Their mission this year was to raise funds for an intra-operative MRI scanner (iMRI) for Southampton Children’s Hospital, and we’re delighted to hear that this has now been achieved.
“You and your entire team are a dream to work with so please do pass on our sincere thanks to everyone involved” Sam Robson, Head of Operations – The Murray Parish Trust
“Thank you to the whole Williams team for your flexibility, professionalism and fun”. Julie Mountain – The Murray Parish Trust
“Could we say a huge THANK YOU for all your work – It is a real pleasure to work with you and we are very grateful for your support in so many areas” David Collinson, Trustee – The Murray Parish Trust
Williams Shipping has added to their extmitted to meeting the requirements of all environmental legislation, ISO14001:2015 and applicable industry guidance. The company continues to review opportunities to improve systems and operations to ensure that there is continual improvement.
For more information on our marine work, visit our logistics page or call our team on 023 8070 1314.
