The Elmer’s Big Parade Suffolk art trail delighted many over the summer as more than 50 weird and wonderful elephant sculptures appeared on the streets of Ipswich. Following in the footsteps of Pigs Gone Wild in 2016, the mass-participation trail attracted thousands of visitors to Suffolk’s county town with many stores in the town centre reporting record levels of footfall and spending.
The wrapping up of the trail marks the end of a successful summer in Ipswich which saw a plethora of cultural events taking place including the Maritime Festival, Ipswich Pride, Ipswich Music Day and the Ipswich Indian Mela.
As community engagement partner for the trail, we sponsored our own sculpture – Earnest Edmund - who took pride of place outside our town centre branch for the duration of the trail. His quintessentially ‘Suffolk’ design features buildings and landmarks from across the county and his namesake, St Edmund, is the patron saint of Suffolk and former king of East Anglia.
Along with the other Elmer sculptures, Earnest Edmund was auctioned off at an event in Ipswich which raised a whopping £261,000 for St Elizabeth Hospice. Earnest himself sold for £3,400 and - while we’ll miss him – we wish him well in his new home!
