Northumbrian Water is set to join the herd in its support for St Oswald′s Hospice.
Already familiar with looking after ‘trunk′ mains, the North East water company will now be taking on an Elmer elephant too, as part of the Great North Parade.
The public art trail, which celebrates the storybook favourite, will see more than 50 individually decorated Elmer sculptures popping up across the region from Wednesday August 21 until Friday November 1, 2019.
Visitors to the trail will be able to meet the Northumbrian Water-sponsored Elmer, named Dazzle, at its location next to Grey′s Monument on Grey Street in Newcastle.
Dazzle, which has been designed and painted by York-based artist Leah Pendleton, is all about innovation and new ideas and features neon light-inspired lettering and lines.
It′s to celebrate the region′s connection to light, thanks to local scientist Joseph Swan who revolutionised society and the economy when he invented the electric lightbulb in 1878.
The water company, which was also involved in the 2016 Great North Snowdogs trail, chose the unique design because of its own industry-leading credentials in innovation, having ran the country′s biggest Innovation Festival last month.
Louise Hunter, Corporate Communications Director, said: "Supporting the communities in which we work is really important to us and we′re delighted to be supporting St Oswald′s Hospice once again with this fantastic project.
"Our Elmer elephant, Dazzle, looks amazing and we love the theme of the design which celebrates electric light and innovation. It fits perfectly with us here at Northumbrian Water, an organisation where we celebrate innovation and new ideas, and where we′re always looking for new and better ways to deliver our services for our customers.
"The Great North Parade offers a brilliant opportunity for people across the region to get together with their families, get involved to help benefit the Hospice, and we can′t wait for it to kick off."
Jane Hogan, Elmer′s Great North Parade Project lead said: "We are delighted to have Northumbrian Water back as a sponsor, after their fantastic support of Great North Snowdogs in 2016. They are such am iconic and innovative company in the region, so we are delighted to be working together on another fantastic art trail in support of St Oswald′s Hospice.
Pictures taken at Northumbrian Water′s ‘Dazzle′ can be shared with @NorthumbrianH2O on Twitter, and Northumbrian Water on Facebook and Instagram.
For more information about Elmer′s Great North Parade, visit www.greatnorthelmer.co.uk