The Elephantastic countdown is on

With a cut-off date for elephant orders set for Monday 15th June, a chance still remains for companies in and around Horsham to adopt an elephant friend and get creative with its decoration for display.

More than 150 naked elephants of all sizes have been sold through the Elephantastic project, over 100 organisations are on-board and nearly 40 charities are set to benefit from the proceeds of the elephant sales at an auction lined-up for the autumn.

Many elephant owners have chosen to carry out in-house designs, whilst others have recruited a professional artist and some elephants have even been celebrity endorsed. Medium sized elephants are on offer to celebrities free of charge, to be decorated to raise charity proceeds. Vic Reeves is just one of the big names already revealed as being involved in the project and others that are soon to be announced as the grand unveiling launch event approaches. TV entertainer Dave Benson Phillips has been confirmed to entertain at the Elephantastic launch taking place on Sunday 26th July in the Carfax in Horsham Town Centre where the bright, colourful and creative elephants will be paraded in all their glory along with live music and a host of family entertainment.

Following the success of the giraffe trails in 2013, Elephantastic, at more than triple the size has been organised by Horsham Rotary Club in partnership with international wildlife charity Born Free, Billingshurst-based marketing agency PMW Communications, Horsham District Council and local traders’ organisation Horsham Unlimited and is set to be the biggest event of its kind.

Horsham Rotarian, John Le Rossignol says: “The town centre trails are going to be fantastic and now the rural trails are really coming together too as more countryside companies are placing their orders, including Christ’s Hospital, Fisher’s Farm and Camping World to name but a few. With merchandise including t-shirts, soft toys and jelly bands on their way, we are going to be seeing Elephantastic going up across the town in more ways than one.”

“Some of the most far-flung elephants have made their way across the Atlantic to Idaho for painting by Rotarian artist Michelle Bliss who returned to their American home state from Horsham in 2014; and the CoCo Foundation who recently took one of theirs on Safari in South Africa. There really have been no boundaries with the project and we have plenty more up our sleeve for the coming months.”

Locals can get a glance at a selection of the decorated elephants on Sunday 12th July at Sparks in the Park in Horsham Park for the initial unveiling as elephant herds gather around the ‘watering hole’.

Report and pictures contributed by Orla Quaid, PMW Communications.