Tons of fun had by all as Herd In the City comes to a close

September 14, 2023

Herd In The City has been hailed a ‘mammoth’ success as it leaves the city streets following seven weeks of colour and tons of fun!

All good things must come to an end, and after a summer of 118 elephants taking over the streets of Southend-on-Sea, Shoeburyness and Leigh-on-Sea, the sculptures have packed their trunks and marched on out of the city.

The trail saw 12,000 maps distributed and nearly 6,000 people downloading the app, with 310,231 elephant-astic sculptures collected and over 30,000 miles stomped across the streets and seafront.

Thousands of trail goers from across the UK admired the works of art in Southend-on-Sea to raise money for the much-loved charity Havens Hospices, which provides specialist care and support for people of all ages living with incurable conditions and their families.

Vanessa Harvey, Project Manager of Herd In The City, says, “We are thrilled to see how loved the elephants were and the countless smiles the art trail gave the city of Southend.

“The care we provide at Havens Hospices is provided completely free of charge and is only made possible thanks to donations and fundraising initiatives such as Herd In The City. So, we would like to say a big thank you to everyone who took part in the trail – because of you, we can be here for the families who need us at one of the toughest times of their lives.”

The sculptures will have some TLC before they join together to say goodbye at the ‘Farewell Weekend’ on 23 & 24 September at Saxon Hall before being auctioned off and finding their forever homes.

So far, the trail has raised over £100,000, which is set to be exceeded following the auction on 26 September. The auction will see elephants from the trail under the hammer, with art and elephant enthusiasts alike bidding to be the proud owner of one of the elephant sculptures.

There is still time to purchase tickets for the ‘Farewell Weekend’ and register your interest in attending the auction online at www.herdinthe.city.

The charity is asking those who have participated in the Herd In The City art trail to give their thoughts about their experience. The feedback will help the charity to develop future trails and events, raising money for local families living with complex or incurable conditions.

All completed surveys will be entered into a prize draw to win a £250 OneforAll voucher thanks to sponsor Luke Hilton Racing. Complete the survey at https://cvent.me/r93xrE.