The organisation behind the Suffolk Show has joined forces with a hospice fundraising drive featuring a lovable fictional elephant.
Farming charity Suffolk Agricultural Association (SAA) will be doing its bit for Elmer’s Big Parade Suffolk in aid of St Elizabeth Hospice as lead education partner in its 2019 art trail, alongside associate education partner Ipswich School.
Elmer’s Big Parade Suffolk, which follows the huge success of a Pigs Gone Wild art trail in 2016, has a strong education element with a range of opportunities for schools and youth groups to participate.
As well as 50 large Elmer sculptures on the art trail, there will be 100 young Elmers which will be designed and decorated by schools and youth groups across the county. Participating groups must pledge to raise £750 as part of a fundraising competition, with the winner receiving a full-size Elmer to keep.
As education partner, the SAA will host a unique opportunity for people to see Elmer’s Learning Herd, the 100 young Elmer sculptures, at the Suffolk Show on May 29 and 30. The display will be a special preview for show visitors to see all the young Elmers together before the art trail officially opens a few weeks later.
Elmer’s Big Parade Suffolk is part of a busy programme of education activities run by the SAA, which aim to inform children and young people about food, farming and the countryside.
SAA chief executive Phillip Ainsworth said his organisation was delighted to be part of Elmer’s Big Parade Suffolk and to contribute to the education aspect of the project. “The art trail is a fun way to celebrate our community spirit and diversity in Suffolk.”
Norman Lloyd, campaign manager for St Elizabeth Hospice, said: “We are pleased to be working with SAA as our education partner once again and are really excited for all the opportunities this presents. It will be a fantastic spectacle to see all 100 young Elmer sculptures decorated and on display all together in one place, we think this is going to be something really special.”
Elmer’s Big Parade Suffolk follows the successful ‘Pigs Gone Wild’ art trail in 2016, which raised £200,000 for St Elizabeth Hospice and was a highlight of the summer for Ipswich, boosting both visitor numbers and the economy.
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