Brighton's Story Trail: 30+ sculptures to find

Brighton is about to get a bit more colourful. From 12 September to 8 November, the Story Trail takes over the city's streets, parks and open spaces with more than 30 BookBenches, each one painted by a local artist. It's Brighton & Hove's first storybook-themed art trail, and it's free to follow, which makes it an easy thing to fold into a day in town with children in tow.

The trail is run by Amaze, the Sussex charity that supports families with disabled children, in partnership with Wild in Art, who have put on more than 190 public art trails around the world. The walking route stretches from the Marina out to Portslade and Patcham, so it's not something you'll do in a single go. Each BookBench is a large sculpture meant to be sat on and talked about, and alongside them, more than 42 mini BookBenches made by schools, nurseries and community groups are on display in libraries, museums, leisure centres and shops.

There's a bit of a game built in too. Every sculpture has a unique code that you can enter into the free Story Trail app to unlock rewards and discounts from Amaze partners, including magnets, merchandise and colouring sheets. If you'd rather leave the phone in your pocket, a printed map comes out on 11 September, and there's a £5 sticker book for a screen-free version. Following the trail is free, though a £2 donation is suggested to help cover costs and support Amaze's work.

A few dates are worth circling. The launch Read Along is on 12 September, from 11:00 to 12:30, beside Fiona Blair's BookBench in the Pavilion Gardens next to the Pavilion Café, where families are encouraged to bring a favourite book and read along with the artist. After that come a Paint & Sip on 16 September, a Story Trail Selfie Challenge on 24 September and Once Upon a Trail on 28 October. The whole thing winds down with a Farewell Weekend from 27 to 29 November, when all the large BookBenches are gathered in one place before being auctioned on 30 November to raise money for Amaze.

That auction is where the money comes from. Every pound raised through the trail, including app donations, book sales and sponsorship, goes to Amaze's work with families of disabled children. Sally Polanski, Chief Executive of Amaze, has pointed out that it costs three times more to raise a child with a disability, which puts the donations into perspective. Dame Julia Donaldson is the writer's judge for the Story Trail competition, and the list of sponsors reads like a who's who of local life, from Brighton & Hove Buses and Brighton & Hove Albion to Waterstones and Brighton and Hove Museums.

It's worth knowing what Amaze does while you're out. They run a range of services for families with children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities across Brighton & Hove and East Sussex, including a SENDIASS advice line open weekdays from 9am to 5pm, parent groups, the ND Family Support Service and the Compass Card, which gives leisure discounts to people aged 0 to 25 with SEND. So, a bit of sculpture-hunting ends up doing some genuine good.