Since the Hoodwinked sculpture trail hit the streets of Nottingham four weeks ago the 33 colourful robins have stolen the hearts of the people of Nottingham.

The Hoodwinked app has been downloaded over 2700 times and more than 34,000 robins have been unlocked using the Hoodwinked app.

The most popular robin so far voted by app users is Royal Robin Redbreast (pictured), at Nottingham Station, painted by artist  Julie Vernon and sponsored by Castle Rock (who are a Nottinghamshire Hospice corporate supporter). The robin with the most check-ins by app users is Rocket Robin on Smithy Row.

Lewis Townsend, Head of Marketing at Castle Rock said: “I’m delighted our robin is proving so popular. When I chose it I did feel it would stand out. All credit to Julie the artist for all her hours of painstaking work.”

Cllr Dave Trimble, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture at Nottingham City Council, said: “Nottingham City Council is so proud and pleased to have brought this fantastic sculpture trail to the city. Hoodwinked is a huge hit both with Nottingham residents and visitors to the city.”

Nottinghamshire Hospice is now taking a leading role for Hoodwinked, as preparations begin for the farewell event and charity auction in October. The trail will have a lasting legacy with increased awareness of Nottinghamshire Hospice and vital funds raised for the services it delivers to people with a terminal diagnosis and their families throughout Nottinghamshire.

Rowena Naylor-Morrell, Chief Executive of Nottinghamshire Hospice, said: “It’s great to see the trail getting such a positive reaction from members of the public. We have taken some groups of patients out on the trail to see the ‘Hands of Hope’ robin they painted in situ in King Street and the other robins. We plan more visits in the coming weeks. It’s a wonderful family friendly activity to do during the summer holidays so I’d urge people if they haven’t already to get down to Nottingham city centre and take a look at these modern masterpieces in our midst.”

Malcolm Billington is one of the Nottinghamshire Hospice patients who went out to see the trail in the first few weeks. Malcolm said: “They brighten up the city. They are all different and very colourful. I haven’t seen all of them yet so hope to go back and see some more. If it raises money for the hospice it will be good.”

Diana Peasey, of Carrington, Nottingham, said: “I accidentally came across two of the robins at Sneinton market and then became hooked. I got the trail guide and did as many as I could on my visits to the city centre. Because it was so hot it took me six attempts to complete the trail. On my journey I increasingly came across families with the trail map on the hunt for the Hoods. It is a very good idea and the art work on each one of them is excellent.”

And it’s not just the robins – more than 50 beautiful BookBenches were created by local primary schools through the Robin’s Tales education programme, supported by Boots. The benches, in intu Victoria Centre, intu Broadmarsh and Central Library as well as in 18 neighbourhood libraries and leisure centres, have been painted in a huge variety of creative designs.

Hoodwinked is led by Nottingham City Council in partnership with Wild in Art, a leading creative producer of spectacular free public art events through the creation of uniquely painted sculptures. Nottinghamshire Hospice is the charity partner for the project.

Nigel Hawkins, head of Culture and Libraries at Nottingham City Council, said: “The team have been working tirelessly to bring it all together and it’s so brilliant to see people enjoying it every day. The city has a great legacy in terms of art and this was a chance to show it on our streets and keep alive the importance of Robin Hood.”

On 13-14 October, the whole flock will come together for one last time for a farewell event in the hospice garden before they go to their forever homes following a public auction. Tickets for the Farewell Event and auction will go on sale in the next week. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the hospice.