A diverse range of businesses were represented at the meeting for the event which is held in aid of the St Elizabeth Hospice.

East Anglian Daily Times: The elephants will add a splash of colour to the town for residents and visitors. Picture: ADRIAN RAWLINSONThe elephants will add a splash of colour to the town for residents and visitors. Picture: ADRIAN RAWLINSON (Image: Archant)

Aurora Bar and Restaurant on Ipswich Waterfront, which hosted the event, is one of the many businesses which have already signed up to sponsor next year’s trail.

They join names including Ipswich School, Ipswich Buses and the East of England Co-op.

The campaign’s patron and hospice trustee Terry Hunt told those at the meeting: “I am truly proud to be patron of Elmer’s Big Parade Suffolk.

“We saw with Pigs Gone Wild what a difference trails like this can make to their home location and we are confident that next year’s trail will be even bigger and better than before, benefitting both Ipswich and of course the hospice. “It is an incredible place and this campaign presents us with a really fun way to be able to support them.”

Elmer’s Big Parade will be coming to Ipswich next summer, beginning in June and ending in September.

50 large Elmers and 100 smaller, young Elmers will be on display around the town.

Norman Lloyd, campaign manager for Elmer’s Big Parade Suffolk, said: “It was fantastic to be able to gather all our partners and sponsors together for the first time.

“We have been working with some of these companies since before the trail was even officially announced so it’s a great relief to be able to announce them officially at last.

“This campaign relies on our supporters being as enthusiastic about the trail as we are and from the reception this morning I think we have got a great group to work with.”

Elmer is the well-known colourful patchwork elephant featured in a series of children’s books published by Andersen Press.

Across the series of books over eight million copies have been sold around the world.

The book’s message is that it is “okay to be different”.

The previous art trail Pigs Gone Wild attracted 250,000 visitors to Ipswich and boosted the Ipswich economy by an estimated £1 million. £200,000 was raised for the Hospice.