AN army of Snowpuppies decorated by school children will go on display on Monday.

The 22 sculptures will pop up in museums across Brighton and Hove until Christmas as part of the Snowdogs by the Sea charity arts trail.

Children at the 19 schools taking part have been able to make their mark with the artistic decorations.

A special launch event takes place tomorrow at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery [sun] where youngsters, parents and teachers can see the creations lined up together for the first time before they take up their positions around the city.

This precedes the opening of the main Snowdog trail, of 44 giant sculptures, which opens on the city's streets on Saturday, September 24 to raise money for The Martlets Hospice.

The Snowpuppies are one element of a themed education programme compiled by the charity to get children involved in the trail.

Imelda Glackin, chief executive of The Martlets Hospice, said: "The Snowdogs by the Sea educational programme is a wonderful opportunity to get our children excited about art. One of the real benefits is that it goes beyond art. We’ve included advice on how to discuss bereavement, which will help both teachers and students have a better understanding of how to support people who’ve experienced loss. I know Snowdogs by the Sea will help to create memories that will last a lifetime." 

Meanwhile there will be a sneak peak of another decorated giant Snowdog.

Bella will take up her position by the Brighton Fishing Museum, on the King's Road Arches, next week.

She is named after the pet of an employee at its sponsor OneFamily, based in West Street, Brighton.

The financial company uses names of employee's dogs as code words for its products. Bella is the name of its lifetime mortgage range.

The 1.5 metre sculpture was created by Chris Dawson, a member of the Sussex Watercolour Society.

He said: "The Bella design came from a play on words – Brighton/Brightoff – which suggested a design of two halves; day and night.

"Much of my art has a cartoon style with bright colours and a touch of humour and I’ve created many paintings of piers, from all different angles, so it seemed to be the natural choice of design.

"Surprisingly it wasn’t as hard as I thought, although I’m not used to painting a 3D object. I had to lift the dog onto a low table which meant I could reach the feet without crawling on floor, and use a foot stool to reach the ears.

"Bella was well trained and didn’t move too much."

The One Family team is busy planning fundraising events to support the trail.

Karl Elliott, the company's marketing director, said: "We are thrilled to have been given the opportunity to be involved in such an exciting campaign. We chose the design for our Snowdog because it includes some of Brighton’s most iconic landmarks."

Where to find snowpuppies decorated by schools:

Booth Museum of Natural History:

Brunswick Primary School

Coombe Road Primary School

Lancing College Prep School

Brighton Museum and Art Gallery:

Bevendean Primary

Middle Street Primary School

The Connected Hub

Westdene Primary School

Woodingdean Primary School

Hove Library:

Hillside School

Goldstone Primary School

West Hove Infant School

Brighton and Hove Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service

Hove Museum:

Blatchington Mill School

Brackenbury Primary School and St Mary's Catholic Primary School

The Downs Park School

Hove Junior School

Portslade Aldridge Community Academy

Jubilee Library:

Coldean Primary School (four snowpuppies)

Elm Grove Primary School