New statistics reveal the full extent of the GoGoDragons! effect on Norwich
Unveiling of the Norwich heritage GoGoDragons!.Picture: ANTONY KELLY - Credit: Archant
Norwich's GoGoDragons! were seen by many as the stars of summer 2015, and new statistics reveal the full extent of the dragon effect that swept across Norwich.
About half a million people followed the city-wide art trail brought to Norwich by children's charity Break and Wild in Art, and it is thought the event contributed an impressive £2.5m to the local economy.
The new figures come as Break reveals it is planning a third GoGo trail for the city in 2018.
They are taken from a survey undertaken by Tharston-based Zing Insights which also found 82pc of dragon hunters spent longer in Norwich because of the trail.
On average people spent about 15 hours looking for the 84 winged warriors – equating in total to an incredible eight million hours of dragon hunting.
Visitors had high praise for the trail with nearly everybody rating it as good or excellent.
Many hailed the trail a success for how it encouraged people to explore new areas of the city, the excellent artwork that decorated the dragons, and the great camaraderie that developed among dragon hunters.
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In short, the GoGoDragons! contributed a huge amount to the city alongside raising awareness of children's charity Break and the dragons generating £369,500 at auction for the organisation's vital work.
Martin Green, Break's fundraising manager, said he was delighted with the success of the trail and how it brought a real 'feel good factor' to the city as well as a big economic boost.
'It has been a real success story for everybody,' he said.
'Of course GoGoDragons! was about supporting vulnerable children, young people and families, but also it was about supporting the city, giving people the chance to find places they haven't seen before and also supporting the local economy.'
See tomorrow's paper for details of where some of the GoGoDragons! are now.
Miniature figurines of the GoGoDragons! Patch and Draco are available to buy at a reduced price of £14.99 while stocks last. For more, visit www.gogodragons.co.uk
Do you have a Norwich arts story? Email arts correspondent Emma Knights at emma.knights@archant.co.uk
