Last summer, Ipswich was taken over by a herd of colourful and striking elephants for Elmer’s Big Parade Suffolk. The trail, delivered by St Elizabeth Hospice, was a huge success not only because it raised an incredible £261,500 for the us, but it also benefitted Ipswich as a whole, with 79% of people taking part spending more time in Ipswich because of the trail.
Overall, 390,000 visitors engaged with the Elmer trail; a 63% increase from the Pigs Gone Wild trail back in 2016. Visitors have reported that they most enjoyed spending time with their family and exploring parts of the town which they were less likely to visit normally. The average family spent £34 whilst walking from Elmer to Elmer which means that the trail bought around £2.4million extra spend into Ipswich. A third of people visiting were from outside the town and many reported that they stayed overnight in a hotel or bed and breakfast.
The money raised from Elmer’s Big Parade will enable St Elizabeth Hospice to continue providing specialist care for local people living with progressive or terminal illnesses. The charity has to generate 75% of its funding so the success of Elmer is a terrific boost to the hospice and the local economy.
Ru Watkins, Chief Executive for St Elizabeth Hospice said ‘Having recently joined the charity, I have been overwhelmed by the care that we provide and the difference we make to local families. I’m pleased to report that 96% of people rated Elmer’s Big Parade trail as good to excellent – a testament to the support we had from our sponsors and partners throughout.
We would like to say a big thank you to the community for their help and we are excited to be talking to Wild in Art about a new trail in the future so watch this space!’