Blossom and Oakley, the two Elmer elephants adopted by St Joseph’s College, were taken on a tour of the school to show off their beautifully painted hides. The ‘young’ elephants were purchased as part of Elmer’s Big Art Parade, a charity drive supporting hospices in Suffolk, Plymouth and Tyne and Wear.
From June to September, Ipswich is set to play host to an even bigger and better art trail than the ‘Pigs Gone Wild’ event in 2016; this time featuring 50 individually designed large elephants based on the much-loved children’s character, Elmer the patchwork pachyderm.
Visitors will also be able to meet the Learning Herd; around 100 ‘young Elmers’, who will be popping up in special locations across the town.
St Joseph’s set its Prep children the task of coming up with a design for one of the young Elmers and its Seniors with the job of decorating the other. Lucy Eeles in Year 2 devised the winning Prep design, cleverly reworking the elephant’s trunk as the trunk of a tree. The tree is blossoming with shades of the school’s iconic red and white stripes. Butterflies and fresh new leaves represent St Joseph’s College students blossoming and reaching their full potential.
The Senior School elephant, Oakley, is liveried in a collaborative design derived from the artwork of a number of students inspired by the wonderful natural and built landscapes of the St Joseph’s College campus. The design captures the students painting the College setting, a reference to their role in shaping the St Joseph’s community. The campus is both ever-changing to meet the needs of the students in the 21st century and timeless in its preservation of natural beauty. The iconic Orwell Bridge also features.
Mrs Clarke, Principal of St Joseph’s College, said, ‘These splendid Big Parade projects inspire our students to explore their endless creativity and work together for a common end. Whilst the children are conscious of and motivated by the fact that the overall project is supporting people with life limiting conditions, their response has been joyful and life affirming.’
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