Herd of colourful elephants to take over towns in celebration of hospice 's 40th anniversary
St Giles Hospice has launched 'March of the Elephants ', an exciting public art sculpture trail due to take place in Summer 2023.
The event will celebrate the vibrancy and creativity that our community has to offer as well as showcasing a spectacular variety of talent across Lichfield, Tamworth and Sutton Coldfield.
March of the Elephants will see St Giles Hospice team up with event experts Wild in Art, who have been delivering world class public art events across the globe for over ten years.
More than 60 elephant sculptures will bring colour and joy to the streets, parks and open spaces across Lichfield, Tamworth and Sutton Coldfield, for ten weeks before being auctioned off to raise funds for St Giles Hospice.
Decorated by local and national artists, designers and illustrators, the elephants will form an 'unforgettable ' trail of colourful sculptures for visitors to discover and enjoy. The free public art event is set to benefit the whole community, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to join in the fun.
Andrew Harkness, chief executive at St Giles Hospice, said: “We are so excited to be working with Wild in Art to bring this trail to Lichfield, Tamworth and Sutton Coldfield. The trail will bring tourism and economic benefits to the region, put smiles on people 's faces, promote wellbeing and exploration and raise vital funds for St Giles Hospice.
“This is the largest event we have ever held. We hope that the community join us in celebrating the care delivered by St Giles in line with our 40th anniversary, enjoy seeing the beautiful elephant sculptures and perhaps learn a bit more about what hospice care is all about.
Charlie Langhorne, managing director and co-founder of Wild in Art, said: “We are delighted to be working with St Giles Hospice to create the March of the Elephants sculpture trail.
“Our events are designed to bring the enjoyment of public art to everyone while offering new ways for people to explore their local area.
“Sponsorship of an elephant sculpture is a fabulous opportunity and there are many exciting ways to benefit from a collaboration and support St Giles Hospice. ”
St Giles Hospice will soon be announcing some of the partners and sponsors who have already marched on board for 2023, but is now calling out for other businesses to take the opportunity to get involved by sponsoring an elephant sculpture.
There is also an opportunity for schools and community groups to join in the march, with a chance to design and adopt their very own mini elephant sculpture.
Chloe Hope, head of fundraising at St Giles Hospice, added: “We are launching the learning programme specifically for schools and community groups and we can 't wait to see the creative designs that the pupils come up with!
“Whilst this is an amazing opportunity for our charity to raise vital funds, we hope we are also giving something wonderful back into the local community that has supported St Giles Hospice for 40 years.
“The next 12 months will be a whirlwind of excitement and organisation for us, and I would urge local any educational institution, organisation or group to get in touch early so they can be part of this amazing celebration event. ”
Artists, business representatives, schools, colleges and local community groups wanting to be involved, or are interested in finding out more, can visit: https://www.marchoftheelephants.co.uk/
Or email elephants@stgileshospice.com