Free Art Trail in Kent Proving Popular with Families this Summer
KENT, UK / AGILITYPR.NEWS / August 07, 2021 / There is still time to enjoy ‘Elmer’s Big Heart of Kent Parade’ in Maidstone as this amazing free art trail will continue to bring fun and laughter across the town until Sunday 22 August 2021.
Over 250,000 Elmers have already been collected by eager explorers using the downloadable app to find the brightly coloured unique Elmers scattered across some fabulous locations around the town centre, along the river path and around the beautiful parks.
It is the first-ever public art trail of its kind to visit Maidstone in Kent and is based on one of the world's most famous children's book characters, Elmer the Patchwork Elephant, by David McKee.
The 51 uniquely designed large Elmer sculptures have all been decorated by local and national artists, together with 31 small Elmers decorated by local schools and community groups.
Tickets are also now on sale for the ‘Farewell Weekend’ (3 to 5 September) which is the last time everyone can see all the Elmers in one accessible place before they are auctioned on Thursday 9 September to raise money for Heart of Kent Hospice.
To take part in the trail, pick up a beautifully hand-illustrated map (suggested £1 donation to Heart of Kent Hospice Hospice) or download the free Parade app (available to download from the App Store or Google Play). Each Elmer has a unique app code that reveals some exciting rewards to download. Maps can be picked up from two town centre shops - Elmer HQ in The Mall, Fremlin’s Elephant House in Fremlin Walk and all 14 Heart of Kent Hospice charity shops, and at many other local businesses.
Ann-Marie Kelly, Income Generation Director at Heart of Kent Hospice said: “These are no ordinary elephants – they’re on an important mission to raise awareness and funds for Heart of Kent Hospice as we celebrate our 30th anniversary of providing specialist advice, support and outstanding care for people living with a terminal illness.
“It’s been amazing seeing and speaking to people that are enjoying the Parade. Many explorers are local residents, alongside new visitors to the County town. We are also delighted to see tickets selling so well for our ‘Farewell Weekend’ next month which will see all the 82 Elmer sculptures under one roof at Lockmeadow, Maidstone (3 to 5 September) before they are auctioned to find their forever homes on Thursday 9 September.”
This fabulous event has taken several years to plan and is courtesy of a collaboration between Heart of Kent Hospice, Wild in Art, Andersen Press and Official Presenting Partner Westerhill Homes.
To ensure you don’t miss out on a ton of fun this summer and book tickets to the ‘Farewell Weekend’, visit www.elmermaidstone.co.uk/
Download the app at https://elmermaidstone.co.uk/app/
Media enquiries, interview and image requests to Caroline Edmunds at Pennington PR on 01892 616647 or 07775 943304 or Cheri Strudwick at Heart of Kent Hospice 07596 856667.
Notes to Editors
Wild in Art: Wild in Art is one of the leading producers of spectacular public art events that entertain, enrich, inform and leave a lasting legacy.
We bring together businesses and creative sectors with schools and local communities through the creation of uniquely painted sculptures.
Our events have enabled more than £15 million to be raised for charitable causes and helped millions of people experience art in non-traditional settings. We believe passionately that being creative through art not only gives people a voice, but it also has a positive impact on society, education, the economy and our health and wellbeing.
We are delighted that Heart of Kent Hospice is hosting Maidstone’s first-ever sculpture trail and the star of the show is one of the most iconic and popular colourful children’s book characters of all time – Elmer the Patchwork Elephant.
Andersen Press: Elmer by David McKee is a family favourite, with over 10 million books sold in over 60 languages worldwide. There are now more than 30 books written and illustrated by David McKee in the Elmer series – so start your trail by reading some of these brilliant books.
Elmer stands for accepting who you are and celebrating difference. We are all different, with so many differences – different races, accents, sizes, shapes and how we dress. The differences are what make the world so rich. It’s brilliant that we’ll celebrate everyone’s true colours with Elmer’s Big Heart of Kent Parade in Maidstone this year.
“I am so excited by the thought of all the Elmer sculptures being decorated by artists and children - it will be fun for the visitors and the artists to see them, but more than that I hope it is an enormous help to the charity to continue their important work. Thank you to Heart of Kent Hospice and Wild in Art, both myself and Elmer can’t wait to see the sculptures on the streets of Maidstone.” – David McKee, creator of Elmer.
Westerhill Homes: Westerhill Homes, part of the Kent based award-winning Chartway Group, is a privately funded development company with diverse developments across Kent.
Formed in 2014 Westerhill Homes has quickly gained a reputation for building quality new homes in sought-after locations. Reflecting the Kent heritage and local vernacular are key design points. At the heart of everything they do is a passion to protect the environment and enhance the communities where they are building, developing social interaction between neighbours and working with local businesses and schools.
As a local employer many of their team have personal connections to Heart of Kent Hospice.
About Us
Heart of Kent Hospice
2021 marks our 30th anniversary. Three decades of providing free, compassionate, end-of-life care to people living with a terminal illness and their loved ones in Maidstone, Aylesford, Tonbridge and Malling and the surrounding towns and villages.
The Hospice has built an excellent reputation within the local community for the quality of our care, which has been further endorsed by the Care Quality Commission who awarded us with an overall rating of ‘Outstanding’ following an inspection in February 2017.
Our vision is for everyone living with a terminal illness in our community to achieve the best quality of life. We are committed to achieving this by enabling them to live in comfort, with independence and dignity to the end of their lives, and to support those closest to them.
Last year the Hospice cared for over 1,700 patients and their families in their own homes or at our Aylesford-based Hospice. Our services cost £5 million a year to run, with over £4 million raised through the generosity of our local community.
For regular news and updates relating to the Hospice, please follow us on social media:
Contacts
Caroline Edmunds
caroline@penningtonpr.comPennington PR
Phone: +44 1892 616647 Mobile: +44 7775 943304