Local businesses that have backed the upcoming Herd In The City art trail have been treated to an exclusive ‘behind the scenes’ look at the elephants before they stomp onto the streets of Southend-on-Sea.
Herd In The City – created by Havens Hospices and Wild in Art – will see more than 45 large elephant sculptures and 72 baby elephants dotted around the city from Friday 14 July to Monday 4 September, including Shoeburyness and Leigh-on-Sea.
The project has been made possible by Presenting Partner Southend-on-Sea City Council, plus dozens of local businesses and organisations, by either joining as official ‘Event Partners’ or sponsoring an individual elephant sculpture.
More than a hundred representatives from dozens of companies gathered together on Thursday 6th July to see all the sculptures standing tall, ready to stomp into Southend-on-Sea, Leigh-on-Sea and Shoeburyness.
Anna Firth, MP for Southend West, says, “It is my absolute pleasure to have attended this preview. I was in complete awe of the artistic talent and creativity on display by our fantastic local artists.
“Havens Hospice do so much crucial work across Southend in providing the highest level of care when people need it the most, and this is precisely why they deserve as much support as we can give them.
“Herd in the City is a wonderful idea that will undoubtedly pique the interest of all the residents of Southend, and I hope as many people come out to see these brilliant sculptures as possible.”
The trail will be raising money for Havens Hospices. In September, the large sculptures will be auctioned to raise money for the charity, which provides specialist care and support for people of all ages who are living with incurable conditions and their families.
Lauren Eagle-Allen from Havens Hospices says, “Seeing our Partners and Sponsors admire the elephant sculptures at this exclusive preview has made us even more excited for the official start of Herd In The City. We can’t wait till the sculptures are placed in their ‘holiday homes’ ready for locals and tourists to explore them during the summer.
Trail-goers can purchase a map from Havens Hospices charity shops and other venues, including the Pier Information Centre, The Forum, Leigh-on-Sea Library and Herd HQ at The Royals Shopping Centre from 14th July. There is also a ‘Herd In The City’ app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.
Keep up to date with the herd at www.herdinthe.city or follow @herdinthe.city on Instagram and @herdinthecity on Twitter and Facebook.
