SCHOOLS and community groups helping with this summer’s Herd In The City art trail got to hear tips for sculptures and fundraising advice, as well as pick up their blank elephant sculpture.
Organised by Havens Hospices, 61 schools and groups attended the event got to hear from a number of presenters and talk to each other about their ideas.
The Learning Programme’s baby elephants are an important part of the arttrail coming to Southend, Leigh and Shoebury this summer.
Sponsored by Rickard Luckin, each one will be designed by a local school, youth group or community project, making them completely unique with their own personalities and names.
The 71 baby elephants will be displayed together in ‘mini herds’ across the city, alongside 46 large elephants for eight weeks between July and September before they stomp back to their foreverhome with their creators.
Annie Laughrin, art and education manager for Wild In Art, said: “Children and young people are at the heart of our communities, so it’s really important that we give them the opportunity to be embedded in the heart of projects like the Herd In The City.
“Every one of them has the ability to be innately creative, and the Learning Programme gives them the flexibility to develop new creative skills and explore new ways of learning and seeing the world.”
Hayley Cleveland, audit and accounts manager from learning programme partner Rickard Luckin, spoke about the importance of the programme.
Annie Laughrin, art and education manager for Wild In Art and co-creators of Herd In The City, gave advice and tips on the art materials to use when decorating the babies.
Michelle Arnold, head of art for The Eastwood Academy, whose school had recently completed their baby elephant “Ellie” spoke about the process. Lauren Eagle-Allen from Havens Hospices shared key information and the reason for the charity’s arttrail, sharing a video of one of the children the hospice cares for.
At the end of the session, the groups collected their blank baby elephants and take them back to begin their decoration before returning them for the trail.
For further information about the trail, visit www.herdinthe.city or follow the herd at herdinthe.city on Instagram and @herdinthecity on Twitter and Facebook.
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