Elmer gives a mammoth boost to Maidstone’s local economy

Elmer’s Big Heart of Kent Parade marched to Maidstone in 2021 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Heart of Kent Hospice and raise funds for their incredible work providing free and compassionate end-of-life care for those living with terminal illness and their loved ones.

The results are in…

Over 50 Elmers from the trail raised an amazing £312,750!

Not only was the parade was a huge success in raising awareness and funds for the hospice, feedback of the trail from the public through the Parade App and website survey was phenomenal.

As if the good news couldn’t get any better, over the Parade’s nine week run, it significantly boosted the local economy and had a total economic impact of over £7 million.

Wild in Art’s survey showed the trail was enjoyed by almost 231,000 visitors, with 61% spending four or more days in the area to find all the Elmers.

The Parade App was a real hit with over 10,000 downloads, enabling visitors to unlock and record Elmers they found.

An impressive 19,302 miles were recorded on the App pedometer by visitors out exploring the trail – that’s not too far off walking the circumference of the Earth! Many highlighted the trail as being a great reason for spending more time outdoors with friends and family.

“We’re delighted to see that 98% of local residents were really proud to have the trail taking place in their town. We’re also pleased to see the trail attracted visitors of all ages with 56% of people surveyed telling us it was the main reason they had visited the town. When we planned the location of the Elmer sculptures, we wanted to showcase all areas of the County town and a brilliant 53% of respondents said they visited new places.” – Ann-Marie Kelly, Heart of Kent Hospice Director of Income Generation