ROTARY clubs across the city have joined forces to sponsor a Snowdog.

The five groups based in Brighton and Hove have clubbed together to pledge £5,000 to help raise money for The Martlets Hospice.

Some 40 giant dog sculptures will hit the streets of Brighton and Hove from late September in the biggest art project the area has ever seen.

More than 30 businesses, companies and individuals have also signed up to sponsor the event in aid of the charity.

Today [Thursday] the sponsors will find out which artists will be designing their Snowdog and discuss how to decorate them - but there is still time for more to sign up.

Stephen Bridges, president of the Brighton and Hove Soiree Rotary Club, said: "We think this trail will be really popular with children and it sounds fun.

"It is 100 years since the Rotary International charity was founded and we hope our artist's design will reflect that with some sort of international flavour.

"As rotary members we want to get our message out there and update our image.

"We've supported The Martlets for years and raised around £125,000 for them.

"We hope to run a competition to name our dog in the next few months and will be supporting The Martlets and Snowdogs by the Sea at Hove Carnival this year."

Company OneFamily, based in West Street, Brighton, is another of the latest sponsors to join the Snowdog pack, and will call its pooch Bella after one its employee's dogs.

Spokeswoman Laura O’Reilly said: "OneFamily often uses the names of our employees’ dogs as code names for products in development, and Bella was the name we used for our new lifetime mortgage products, launched only last week.

"Whilst we haven’t yet picked the dog’s design, we are really looking forward to meeting the artists tonight to help us decide on this.

"Our decision to sponsor a Snowdog came from the desire to support Martlets Hospice, a really important local charity.

"The hospice provides much needed support for people affected by terminal illness. OneFamily also seeks to support families through life’s pivotal moments.

"We’re looking forward to seeing visitors old and new following the Snowdog trail and really enjoying the city, perhaps even discovering new areas that they were unaware of before.

"Brighton is such an eclectic, beautiful part of the country and anything that encourages people to visit and explore is great.

"It’s a fun way for them to support Martlets Hospice and enjoy their time in Brighton."

They join scores of other organisations well-known faces.

The display is in conjunction with Wild in Art. The Argus is the official media partner for the project.

How to get involved

ORGANISERS are on the hunt for sponsors to take part in the Snowdogs by the Sea trail.

Businesses, groups, organisations and individuals are invited to pledge £5,000 in return for being linked to one of the giant-sized models.

Artists will be chosen to decorate each of the Snowdogs. Each dog will be unique, with its own design, personality and story.

To get involved call Sarah Harvey at The Martlets Hospice on 01273 718797 or by emailing sarah.harvey@martlets.org.uk.