Prepare for the arrival of the herd – Weldmar Hospicecare brings Stampede by the Sea to Bridport!

A herd of more than fifty brightly decorated elephants will be arriving in Bridport, West Bay, and Lyme Regis in spring 2025, to raise funds and awareness for Chamber member Weldmar Hospicecare with Wild in Art.

Stampede by the Sea will transform the area into a vibrant, fun, and free art trail, engaging with local families, schools, the business community, and artists. The event was officially launched at Bridport’s Electric Palace, where the first elephant designs were also unveiled.

The elephants will be located around the area, and visitors to the trail will be able to follow the app to visit each of the sculptures. The trail is expected to bring a number of extra visitors to the area ahead of the summer season, bringing a welcome boost to the local economy.

Fund will be raised for Weldmar Hospicecare through sponsorship of each sculpture and other elements of the art trail, allowing local businesses to play their part in the project and involve employees and customers. A further boost to the charity’s coffers will come at the end of the trail when each of the sculptures will be sold at auction.

Local schools and youth organisations will be able to engage with Stampede by the Sea’s learning programme. Each participating school will receive a baby elephant sculpture to design as they wish, and it will be theirs to keep following the trail. Elephant themed learning resources will also be shared related to citizenship and conservation, as well as the work of Weldmar Hospicecare, which can often be ‘the elephant in the room’. Teachers will be supported in starting conversations about grief and dying, and how children can be encouraged to share their feelings and emotions.

The trail will also encourage health and wellbeing for the local community by getting people outdoors and discovering each of the incredible elephants, each of which will be hand painted by talented artists who can submit their designs ahead of the event.

A ‘hero’ elephant has already been revealed, entitled Waves of Emotion, and was created by Dorset artist Anissa Lee, who worked with attendees of Weldmar’s Wellbeing Support Sessions to come up with a design that reflected both the local area and the care provided by the charity.

As well as raising funds, the project will increase awareness of the work of Weldmar in the west of Dorset, highlighting services such as visits for patients at home from Weldmar Community Nurses to provide advice and support, care from the charity’s hospice at home service during a patient’s final weeks and days, therapies to enhance mental and physical wellbeing, bereavement support, and more.

There are plenty of opportunities for local businesses to get involved. Download more information here

More details about Stampede by the Sea can be found online at stampedebythesea.org

and by following Stampede by the Sea on Facebook and Instagram.