Northern Ireland Hospice 'heartbroken' after elephant sculpture is left 'severely damaged'

An elephant sculpture, which forms part of a charity trail through Belfast, has been severely damaged.

The Elmer the Elephant trail is made up of more than 70 pieces of artwork and was launched only two weeks ago.

The event is organised by the Northern Ireland Hospice in partnership with Wild in Art and Andersen Press. The trail is a fundraising effort in aid of NI Hospice and is part of its celebrations to mark '21 Years of Care' delivered from the Children’s Hospice at Horizon House in Newtownabbey.

Northern Ireland Hospice says 'Elmer the Botanical Elephant' has been temporarily removed.

The Hospice said Kerrie McNeill, the artist who painted Elmer, tried to repair damage caused last week, only for it to be further destroyed overnight on Saturday evening. 

Mary McCall, Communications and Brand Director at NI Hospice, said: "We are heartbroken that one of our beautiful Elmer sculptures was damaged over the weekend. We hope to have Elmer the Botanical Elephant back on display very soon.

"All our other sculptures are out and about making a colourful splash across Belfast and being enjoyed by families and visitors to the trail.

"After the many hours of work that all our Elmer artists have put in to deliver this wonderful, feelgood event to the city, we are determined not to let this unfortunate incident overshadow the joy that the trail has been providing to the people of Belfast and tourists visiting the city.

"The positive themes of Elmer’s story are care, compassion and friendship. We have already witnessed these qualities in action on the trail and the feedback and support from everyone has been amazing!

"The sculptures are clearly being loved, and we hope that everyone will continue to enjoy finding and collecting them via the ElmerBelfast app. Our Elmers are friendly creatures who like being hugged and having their photos taken but we would appeal to our trail-goers to please treat all our Elmers with care and respect, be gentle with them and refrain from climbing, sitting or swinging on them. You can also report any incidents of damage or vandalism by calling 028 9694 4476."

The free, family-friendly art trail runs until August 31 and is based on David McKee’s popular children’s character Elmer the Patchwork Elephant.

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