Auction of elephant sculptures gives county hospice massive funding boost
An auction of 40 stunning giant elephant sculptures has provided a financial lifeline for the Leicestershire hospice, LOROS.
The Leicester-based charity, which this year celebrates its 40th anniversary of being opened, recently announced cuts to its services because of a £2million shortfall in funding, due to falling income and rising costs.
![LOROS day hospice nurse, Amy Brown, with one of the elephant sculptures auctioned off in aid of the charity IMAGE Beth Walsh Photography- www.bethwalsh.co.uk]](https://www.meltontimes.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOmZmMGY0MzQyLWM1ZGQtNGUzMC1iNTE0LWY1OWE4MzQwNTFkZTozNGZkMWM4OC1mZTUyLTQyOWItYmFiMy0zZWYzZmNmZDE0Nzk=.jpg?crop=3:2,smart&trim=&width=640&quality=65)
But a spectacular fundraiser has given it a timely boost with the auction of individually designed, hand-painted elephant sculptures generating an impressive £286,800 for the hospice.
The sculptures were all displayed around the city for a Stomp Round Leicester art trail over 10 weeks in the summer.
Yesterday’s (Wednesday’s) auction attracted a plethora of bidders, both online and in-person, competing to take home the sculptures.
The highest winning bids included £14,000 for Ellie, a life-like representation of a young African elephant by artist Amy Bourbon, and £12,000 for XL, which was designed by international artist Alex Echo.
In addition, Remember Me, an elephant sculpture displaying the names of loved ones who are no longer with us, was gifted to the hospice by a host of supporters, whose bids totalled £29,000.
Camilla Barrow, acting CEO at LOROS said: “We are absolutely blown away by the total raised – it’s a staggering amount and that’s all thanks to the incredible generosity of these supporters.
“I’d like to thank them all so much.”
She said the charity still faces a challenge to make up the lost funding so it can revive some services which have been lost.
She added: “Stomp Round Leicester has been an incredible journey and it’s done so much more than bring art to our city - it’s helped shine a light on hospice care at a time when we need it most.
“This magnificent total is a step towards securing our future but we still have a mammoth hill to climb.”
Day hospice nurse, Amy Brown, attended the auction to talk about the impact of her service on the patients she supports.
Amy said: “It’s been a really challenging summer for all of us at LOROS.
"The reality for people who are living with incurable disease is these aren’t just services – they’re lifelines.”
Go to www.loros.co.uk to donate or find out how you can fundraise for LOROS.