Skip to content

Celebrities and Artists unite for the Tusk Turtle Trail in aid of ocean conservation

15th June 2025
Deborah Meaden, Steven Bartlett, Ronnie Wood and Ralph Steadman behind the scenes with their turtle sculptures.
Caption icon Deborah Meaden, Steven Bartlett, Ronnie Wood and Ralph Steadman behind the scenes with their turtle sculptures.

Celebrities and Artists unite for the Tusk Turtle Trail in aid of ocean conservation

London hosted a vibrant street art installation this summer when the Tusk Turtle Trail – an inspiring public art collaboration between African wildlife conservation charity Tusk and globally renowned artists and celebrities – launched in the capital.

Tusk and art curator Chris Westbrook of Westbrook Gallery have convened many creative minds from the worlds of art, design, photography, music, theatre and television to produce 16 life-sized turtle sculptures, each uniquely designed and painted. On display in London during the months of July and August 2025, the sculptures were discoverable through a trail highlighting the beauty of and threats to marine turtles, as well as the people working tirelessly in Africa for their survival.

Among the internationally recognised contributors to the Tusk Turtle Trail are The Rolling Stones guitarist and Tusk Ambassador, Ronnie Wood; Dragons’ Den entrepreneurs Deborah Meaden and Steven Bartlett; actor and comedian John Cleese and his wife Jen Cleese; legendary photographer Rankin; acclaimed writer-artist Harland Miller and iconic illustrator Ralph Steadman.

Speaking on the importance of raising awareness for marine conservation, Tusk ambassador Deborah Meaden commented: “We see wildlife on land, and it triggers emotion: it is visible, tangible, and easy to connect with. The ocean is too often out of mind, and yet it is the beating heart of our planet – the force that sustains all life forms. If the ocean dies, so does the planet. It’s that simple, and that urgent.” Deborah collaborated with fellow Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett to paint a Turtle that was displayed as part of the street art exhibition.

THE LIVE TURTLE TRAIL AUCTION HELD AT THE VIEW FROM THE SHARD
Share this page:

The full list of artists, ambassadors and collaborators who have convened to design the sculptures and raise awareness of the plight of marine species is as follows:

Adam
Dant		 Andrew
Scott		 Chila
Burman MBE		 Dave
White
Deborah Meaden
& Steven Bartlett		 Hannah
Shergold		 Harland
Miller		 Jacob
Vitalo
Jemma
Powell		 John &
Jen Cleese		 Magda
Archer		 Mauro
Perucchetti
Ralph
Steadman		 Rankin Rob &
Nick Carter		 Ronnie
Wood

Each turtle is being generously sponsored by a Tusk partner or supporter. DHL, a long-standing logistics partner of Tusk, returns as lead sponsor for the campaign.

Marine turtles have navigated our oceans for more than 100 million years, yet six out of seven species are now threatened with extinction. From entanglement in fishing gear to plastic pollution and rising sea levels, human activity has decimated turtle populations across the globe. Marine turtles play a crucial role in maintaining healthy coral reefs and seagrass beds, making them essential to the balance of ocean ecosystems. By protecting turtles, we help safeguard the broader health of our oceans.

The aim of our Turtle Trail is to inspire collective action to celebrate and protect one of the most ancient and endangered marine species. Tusk is proud to champion marine projects in some of Africa’s most vulnerable coastal communities. Proceeds from the Turtle Trail’s beautiful sculptures will go directly to their vital work. Nick Bubb, CEO of Tusk

Each sculpture on the trail will be available to bid on online, culminating with a live auction event in London in mid-October. Pickfords moving and storage firm has been managing arrangements for the Turtle Trail since the start of the project.

Go to Turtle Trail 2025 Event Page

FIND OUT MORE

Quotes from our Partners

Kirsty Tullett-Jones, Director of Marketing & Communications at Art of London
quote-icon

Art of London is honoured to see the West End, a hub of world-class culture and creativity, serve as centre stage for such a meaningful initiative as the Tusk Turtle Trail. Not only does it highlight the power of art in raising awareness, this trail will bring a new energy to discovering and exploring the area and its rich variety of art in every form.

Kirsty Tullett-Jones, Director of Marketing & Communications at Art of London

Elliott Santon, Head of Global Sponsorships, DHL Express
quote-icon

Leveraging our network logistics for such a worthwhile cause clearly reinforces our core purpose values of connecting people - improving lives, and at DHL we are proud once again to continue our partnership with the Tusk Turtle Trail which ultimately raises awareness and helps support ocean conservation and the important continuation of marine ecosystems.

Elliott Santon, Head of Global Sponsorships, DHL Express

Patrick Allen from The View From The Shard
quote-icon

We are proud to support the Tusk Turtle Trail and host one of these incredible sculptures at The View from The Shard. As a platform that celebrates both innovation and global connection, it’s an honour to spotlight the urgent cause of marine conservation from one of London’s most iconic vantage points.

Patrick Allen from The View From The Shard

Catherine Riccomini, Director of Marketing and Communications at Shaftesbury Capital
quote-icon

Both Covent Garden and Carnaby Street have long been innovative, cultural and creative hubs in London’s West End, and Shaftesbury Capital is proud to host this year’s Tusk Turtle Trail across both neighbourhoods as the trail returns to London this summer. We are committed to supporting public art that sparks conversation and champions important global causes and the Tusk Turtle Trail does exactly that.

Catherine Riccomini, Director of Marketing and Communications at Shaftesbury Capital

For event updates and further details, visit tuskturtletrail.com and follow @tusk_org on social media.

Related Posts

A green Turtle approaching the sand
Species

Turtles

There are seven species of marine turtle. Six are classified as endangered or critically endangered. Find out more...

Event

Turtle Trail 2025

Tusk Turtle Trail - London. Sixteen renowned international artists will design and paint turtle sculptures, which will be on public display in the streets of London from July – September 2025.

LAMU Trust children and group
Project

Lamu Marine Conservation Trust

The Lamu Marine Conservation Trust (LaMCoT) protects Lamu’s marine life, ecosystems and threatened turtle population. Find out more...

Sign up to our Newsletter

To receive exclusive access to footage from the field, updates from projects and how you can get involved, join Team Tusk. Conservation starts with you.