0

Plinths to be reused for 2020 Elmer trail

As the Elmer’s Big Parade Suffolk campaign draws to a close there are many important tasks that need completing and yesterday saw an important milestone for the team. The concrete plinths that once displayed the large Elmers in the streets and open spaces of Ipswich were loaded onto trucks and driven down to Kent, ready to be used again next summer

Heart of Kent Hospice have teamed up with Wild in Art and Andersen Press to bring Elmer’s Big Heart of Kent Parade to Maidstone next summer. The concrete plinths, manufactured by local company and Suffolk campaign supporter Poundfield Products Ltd, are to be repurposed and reused next year.

The Elmer team at St Elizabeth Hospice have been supporting Heart of Kent Hospice in the preparations for their new trail over the past few months. Kent staff have visited Ipswich on numerous occasions; viewing the trail in situ, participating in the de-installation, visiting the farewell event and finally attending the auction itself. There is a huge amount of behind the scenes planning that is needed to enable a campaign such as this to be successful, so anything that can be learnt from previous examples can be invaluable.

Norman Lloyd, Campaign Manager for Elmer’s Big Parade Suffolk, said:

“I learnt such a lot from Pigs Gone Wild trail and I am happy that we can pass on some of our learning to help Heart of Kent prepare for their forthcoming Elmer adventure. Elmer’s Big Parade Suffolk has been a true team effort and we are indebted to all those who have contributed. We must say a huge thank you for yesterday to CARS Ipswich, who kindly supplied a forklift for the job, to ABP, who were able to provide a forklift driver to assist us, and to the Gallagher Group who are working with Heart of Kent Hospice. It all went very smoothly and this was down to their combined expertise and support.”

Sarah Pugh, Chief Executive at Heart of Kent Hospice said:

“We’re so grateful to Gallagher Group, the Official Logistics Partner of Elmer’s Big Heart of Kent Parade, for their enthusiasm in helping us to bring this trail to Maidstone, for both the benefit of the Hospice and our local community. We’ve been blown away by the support we have received from local businesses to get involved and are thrilled to be on track to create a fun and vibrant trail of 50 sculptures between 20 June and 23 August 2020. We’re grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from the team in Ipswich and will re-condition the plinths ready for our trail.”

Elmer’s Big Parade Suffolk was St Elizabeth Hospice’s second art trail, organised once again in partnership with Wild in Art, as well as new partner Andersen Press. The sculptures were out on parade from Saturday 15 September until Saturday 7 September 2019 and the auction took place on Thursday 3 October. It followed the successful ‘Pigs Gone Wild’ art trail in 2016.

Elmer's Big Art Parades

Elmer's Big Art Parades