March of the Elephants

Lichfield, Tamworth and Sutton Coldfield
1 July 24  – 8 September 24
St Giles Hospice
Overview

From 1 July to 8 September 2024, the streets, parks and open spaces of Lichfield, Tamworth and Sutton Coldfield were home to over 70 beautifully designed elephant sculptures.

30 large elephant sculptures were designed by local and national artists – both well-known favourites and newly emerging talent, and sponsored by local businesses. Plus, visitors could also admire more than 40 mini members of the herd, designed by local schools and community groups.

The free art trail was a special event that promoted health and wellbeing, brought businesses and communities together and helped boost the regional economy.

A farewell weekend took place on the 20-22 September for the chance to see all the sculptures in one place before the large sculptures ‘herded’ off to their forever homes after raising £125,000 at auction for St Giles Hospice on the 24 September.

75k+

Sculptures Collected

28k+

Rewards Unlocked
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4.7k+

Miles Walked
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1.1k+

Photos Shared

An incredible £125,000

was raised at auction and will support St Giles Hospice’s vital end of life services. The event, held in the historic Lichfield Cathedral, marked the culmination of the community-wide art project featuring the 30 large elephant sculptures and more than 40 mini-elephants.

Participating Artists

Sally Adams
Gayani Ariyaratne
Anne Bardsley
Jill Busby
Anne-Marie Byrne
Reilly Creative
Sian Ellis
David Graham
Sue Guthrie

Lucy Hebden
Lynne Hollingsworth
Jenny Leonard
Hannah Jayne Lewin
Sophie Li-Rocchi
Jenny Marshall
(my) sound trauma
MrASingh

Hermarnie Maurri
Donna Newman
Jess Perrin
Gill Prendergast
Becky Smith
Hannah Sunderland
Emma Turner
Michelle Turton

Most Voted For

Flora

During the trail, visitors could vote for their favourite Elephant sculpture on the March of the Elephants app and Flora by Becky Smith was a firm favourite.

Flora’s body is gold-leafed and adorned with hand-painted flowers, birds, and butterflies. Each painted element glows in the dark illuminating the entire piece come nighttime.

About St Giles Hospice

St Giles Hospice is a registered charity founded in 1983 by the Reverend Paul Brothwell, originally to improve the care of local people dying with cancer. They now support people in the community whose illnesses may not be curable such as cancer, motor neurone disease, heart failure, MS and respiratory disease. They also offer support for families and helpers.

The dedicated team provides individually-tailored care either at the hospice or in patients’ own homes across their communities.

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