LOROS elephants to go to auction as trail ends

Stomp Around Leicester has been taking place since mid-July

A herd of elephants is set to go under the hammer after spending the summer in Leicester city centre.

The LOROS Stomp Around Leicester sculpture trail came to an end on Sunday after logging about 490,000 visits since mid-July.

The 40 giant elephants, alongside more than 80 baby elephant sculptures which had been at schools across the area, will now be gathered at the hospice in Groby Road on 4 and 5 October, before a charity auction on 8 October at Leicester City's King Power Stadium.

It is hoped the trail and sale will boost the coffers of the hospice in the face of "real financial challenges".

The sculptures will now be sold at auction

LOROS said the trail's app was downloaded more than 9,000 times, with 490,000 visits to sculptures and almost 1,500 photos submitted to the gallery.

The most visited was the Sunflower elephant, the most photographed was the Elephant King, and the top-rated was the sculpture named Twist and Stomp.

Residents and business have been thanked for making the art trail a mammoth success

LOROS medical director Dr Luke Feathers thanked residents and businesses for their help in making the trail "such a success".

He said: "We've had lovely feedback about how much the herd of elephants have brought people together and even sparked some conversations about 'the elephant in the room' - death and dying - which we know from experience is so important.

"This year, LOROS has some real financial challenges so we need our community to continue to support us so we can care for all the people who need us."