The sale of the large elephant sculptures raised £125,000 for St Giles Hospice.
Over 70 uniquely painted elephant sculptures were on display in parks, streets and open spaces across Lichfield, Tamworth and Sutton Coldfield this summer, creating a spectacular art trail in aid of St Giles Hospice.
The trail ended with a special auction in the historic Lichfield Cathedral where the large sculptures and a selection of smaller sculptures raised £125,000 for the hospice and its vital end of life care services. Each gentle giant was uniquely designed by a mix of local and national artists, from well-known favourites to newly emerging talent.
Mighty Oak by Donna Newman, inspired by the area’s green spaces, proved most popular, selling for £8,200 and Flora by Becky Smith, a glow-in-the-dark floral design, sold for £7,000.
Elinor Eustace, Interim CEO of St Giles Hospice, said: “It’s been an absolutely amazing night. We are so grateful to every single bidder and of course to the ones who are taking the elephants home.
We have had some phenomenal bids in the cathedral, and it has been a fantastic night with over £125,000 raised on the sculptures alone, plus the amount we had raised just before this event too. It’s been a fantastic night for St Giles and thank you to the whole community for their support, it really does make a difference.”
