A collection of bright and beautiful elephant statues travelling across the UK will arrive at the Trafford Centre next month to raise awareness of The Asian Elephant Foundation’s conservation work.
The 100-strong elephant herd will begin their journey in Watford next week before travelling to Manchester on August 19.
The iconic parade aims to unite celebrities, businesses and artists in the creation of bold public art pieces which promote and raise funds for the charity.
Trevor Pereira, commercial director of Trafford Centre owner Intu, said: “This festival of colour will unite the communities of Manchester and give people from all walks of life a reason to smile.”
BBC One Show’s Alex Jones, Mercy Delta and Magnetic Man are just some of the celebrities supporting the 2013 parade.
Previous celebrity endorsements have come from the likes of funny-man Ricky Gervais, top fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger and vocal powerhouse Leona Lewis, in tours which have reached major cities such as Amsterdam, Milan and Singapore.
By using digital tours, conservation education in schools and opportunities for Manchester residents to design and create their own elephants, the parade will give everyone a chance to get involved.
Six new elephants will be commissioned in Manchester and added to the tour; this will include four from Greater Manchester schools, one from the Trafford Centre staff and one from people in the community.
Mr Pereira said: “Raising lasting awareness of the conservation issues is as important this time round as just raising money for the Asian elephant.
“We have capped the prices of tour elephants so more people can get involved in fulfilling a dream to own one and our schools programme, the digital tour and the live painting workshops will give people more ways to get involved in the parade.”
The proceeds are shared between various projects and organisations in 13 countries including Thailand and Malaysia which are dedicated to the conservation of Asian elephants and awareness and educational projects.
For more information and to get involved with the elephant parade, click here.
Picture courtesy of Choo Yut Shing via Flickr, with thanks.
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