THE ELEPHANTS are almost here!

It's now just two weeks until a stampede of beautifully decorated elephants will be dotted around the city centre for residents and visitors to enjoy.

Around 65 elephants, large and small, will go on display across the city for eight weeks from July 12, before each large sculpture is auctioned to raise money for St Richard’s Hospice.

Each sculpture is sponsored by a business and individually designed by an artist – either well-known or just starting out, from the Worcestershire area or further afield.

The baby elephants have been decorated by schools and community groups and will return to them when the trail is over.

Worcester’s Big Parade is a Wild in Art event being brought to the city by St Richard’s Hospice.

It is supported by partners Crowngate, Worcester City Council, Worcester Business Improvement District (BID), the Worcester News and BBC Hereford & Worcester.

The elephants will leave the city on September 5. After this, there will be the chance to say a final ‘goodbye’ at farewell events at Main Road on Thursday, September 30 - Sunday, October 3 and again from Thursday, October 7 - Sunday, October 10 2021.

St Richard’s Hospice cares for adults with serious, progressive illnesses – improving their quality of life from diagnosis, during treatment, and to their last days.

Each year the hospice team supports more than 3,400 patients, family members and bereaved people in Worcestershire.

St Richard’s is an independent charity and relies on donations and gifts in Wills for the majority of its income with 22 per cent funded by the NHS.

The charity delivered one previous and hugely popular Wild in Art trail, Worcester Stands Tall, in the summer of 2018.

To find out more visit: www.worcestersbigparade.co.uk