Tail Trail finishes in the office

Dorset Hills completes the Great Tail Trail

Dorset Hills started its life on the prom and now greets visitors in our Bournemouth office. Collected 1,460 times during the Great Tail Trail, it carries a simple message from the community to Julia’s House – we are with you.

In 2025, 45 mermaid tails transformed Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole into an open-air gallery, created by over 40 professional artists in partnership with 43 schools and community groups. More than 5,000 people downloaded the app, recording 137,819 collections and walking over 16,000 miles to support Julia’s House.

Delivered by Julia’s House with public art producer Wild in Art – and inspired by the hospice’s Mermaid Suite – the trail encouraged exploration and raised awareness of the vital care the charity provides for children and families in the local community.

Steele Raymond sponsored Dorset Hills, created by artist Laurie King, and hosted it outside the Russell-Cotes Museum. Members of our ESG Committee visited Laurie’s studio to learn about the inspiration and craft behind the piece – acrylic base colours with intricate linework in acrylic markers, finished with a protective anti-graffiti varnish, completed over 40 to 50 hours.

Laurie drew on the unique charm of Dorset to inspire future outdoor adventures. Dorset Hills showcases locations such as Chapman’s Pool, Anvil Point Lighthouse and the cottage at Spyway, along with other views across the Isle of Purbeck. The contours are inspired by OS maps, reflecting his fascination with interpreting landscapes and spaces.

We pledged £1 per collection and rounded our donation to £2,000. Colleagues mapped the route, joined Race Across the Trail, and met fellow sponsors, artists and families along the way. At the farewell auction, we purchased our sculpture so its story lives on in our reception. We were also pleased to welcome Julia’s House Corporate Fundraiser, Caroline Attreed, and Deputy CEO, Mike Bartlett, to see the tail in its new home.

Jennifer Rogerson, Managing Partner, said:
“We are very proud to have supported Julia’s House through the Great Tail Trail, helping local families with children facing serious medical conditions. It has been wonderful to celebrate local artists, explore the trail with friends and colleagues, and see our sponsored tail, Dorset Hills, enjoyed by so many. The sculpture is now on full display in our Bournemouth office – a reminder of a brilliant initiative we were able to be part of.”

Why we support our region

We work with people, charities and businesses across the South Coast because strong local partnerships build a stronger place to live and work. Supporting projects like the Great Tail Trail brings together culture, education and enterprise – the same ingredients that help our clients grow in the right direction. Our role is to give clear advice, invest time on the ground and back initiatives that bring energy to our community.

Over the last few years we have formalised that commitment through our ESG Committee, which brings together people from across the firm to choose causes, organise fundraising and make sure support is hands on as well as financial. Campaigns like firm-wide challenges, office events and volunteering days are now a regular part of life here, helping colleagues feel directly connected to the impact we have.

Who we help and why

Our giving is rooted in the places where we live and work. Most of the charities we support are based in Dorset or the wider BCP area, so every pound and every hour of volunteering feeds back into the same communities our clients and colleagues rely on. The focus is clear – children’s health and welfare, disability support, homelessness and food poverty, with some space for causes that matter deeply to our people, such as animal welfare and conservation.

Each year we select a primary charity partner and then keep a small number of long term commitments running alongside it. In recent years that has included:

• Helpful Hounds Assistance Dogs – our current charity partner, supporting young people and adults who benefit from highly trained assistance dogs that build confidence and independence. Colleagues have taken part in relay challenges and other events to raise funds and awareness.
• The Dorset Children’s Foundation – our 2022 Charity of the Year, helping sick and disabled children across Dorset, with every donated pound going directly to support.
• YMCA Bournemouth – a recurring relationship through the BIG Sleep Easy, raising money and awareness around homelessness and secure housing across the town. Teams from the firm have consistently exceeded their fundraising targets by a wide margin.

Alongside these, our ESG Committee has supported organisations such as Dorset Cancer Care Foundation, Hope for Food, RSPCA and Monkey World, giving colleagues the chance to back causes that resonate with them – from food security and local cancer support to animal welfare and conservation.

The pattern is deliberate. We look for charities that:

• are focused on Dorset and the Central South
• address real, often urgent, need for children, families and vulnerable adults
• welcome active involvement from our people as well as financial support

That mix has led to a dual track approach – one main partner where we build momentum over one or two years, plus a small number of long standing relationships that anchor our support for homelessness, children’s care and local health needs.

Projects like the Great Tail Trail sit naturally within that story. They bring families onto the streets and seafront, shine a light on hospice care, and give local artists and schools a platform. For us, Dorset Hills is more than a sculpture in reception. It is a reminder that when businesses, charities and communities pull in the same direction, the South Coast becomes a better place to live, work and grow.