Winchester Business Improvement District (BID) is aiming to bring the local business community together to show its appreciation for all key workers by hosting an Otter Trail.
The trail will be a free city-wide event which will take place from Saturday 22nd May to Wednesday 30th June.
Across the city, every participating shop and business will display a key worker otter in its window and a brightly-coloured window sticker showing a QR code that directs people to a website for more details and a map of otter locations. Winchester businesses want to say thank you to key workers, by hosting an otter, for their incredible hard work over the last year.
Participants can download a free map, from the Winchester BID website, www.winchesterbid.co.uk from Friday 21st May to use to help them explore the city centre.
There are 30 otters in total located around the city, each with their own identity from a variety of different key worker roles including doctors, nurses, teachers, police, military and many more.
During the event, participants, businesses and the wider local community will be able to bid to buy an individual otter via an online auction, accessed through the Winchester Hospice website, www.winchesterhospice.com. The funds raised will be equally split between The Winchester Hospice and the events company. To access the online auction you simply scan the QR code on the window stickers and follow the instructions.
Nick Vaughan, of Winchester Hospice Fundraising Charity, said: “Thank you to our friends at Winchester BID for supporting Winchester Hospice through the Key Worker Otter Trail. This is a brilliant idea, and it is a great tribute to the key workers who have made such a difference. Thank you to all the Winchester businesses who support The Otter Trail, and we look forward to raising vital funds for the Hospice when we auction off the otters at the end of the event.
“The conversion of Burrell House into Winchester Hospice is going well, as is the fundraising campaign, and we are looking forward to being able to open the doors of Winchester Hospice in the summer.”
Sarah Davis, Business Improvement District Manager at Winchester BID said: “We are so pleased and proud to be able to deliver this trail that celebrates the extraordinary lengths that key workers have gone to over the past year as well as raising funds for such an important new local charity.”