Elephant Parade

Last day of a really wonderful weekend in London and what a brilliant day it was. Having planned to do Oxford Street we changed our mind when we realised there was a huge cycling event taking place in the centre (we'll save that for a future visit!) and headed for the Harlequin/Intu shopping centre in Watford. One little mistake us "country hicks" made was that we had underground travel cards for the weekend (cheapest way to travel as often as you like across the city) and assumed they covered all the underground but apparently not, only zones 1-6, and we subsequently arrived in Watford underground, zone 7!, where our tickets were refused and we couldn't get out of the station!!! But a VERY nice British Rail man loved our Darzet accents and let us through FOC and back again for our return journey. I've often heard it said Londoners are not very friendly - not true!

What we planned as a day for a little Sunday shopping turned out to be this art lovers idea of heaven! A brand new herd of Elephant Parade elephant statues had gathered for the first time at the shopping centre to begin a 375-day tour of the UK that will visit 14 towns and cities and reach more than 30 million people.

There must have been two dozen elephants there today for the start of the Elephant Parade and for each venue of their forthcoming journey they will be joined by six elephants designed by the local community. It is expected that more than 100 elephants will take part in the tour which concludes in London in July 2014 (I WILL be going back!

Elephant Parade has travelled the world, its vibrantly decorated statues raising awareness of and funds for the conservation of the Asian Elephant. Money raised from the sale of smaller versions of the tour elephants will be donated by sponsor Intu to international charity, The Asian Elephant Foundation.

The elephant line up brings together artist creations from around the UK and many of the designs make reference to British icons. From aeroplanes, to British cathedrals and fishing villages - the designs celebrate many UK regions. Other designs that feature are a strawberry ice cream, classic British sweets, banana leaves, and a modern Union jack. There will be a princess for the girls and a pirate for the boys. And stunning fine art creations for art collectors – including the first ever elephant created from charcoal.

Each artist has a personal story to tell about their design and I could not resist but buy a tiny version of the elephant entitled "The Butterfly Effect" designed by artist Jane Veveris Callan. ( I was a little annoyed that dipsy here didn't blip it!! ) Her design so reflected the image she had intended to create. Of her design Jane said..... “The Butterfly Effect” highlights the importance of each individual making an effort, however small, because like the gentle flutter of a wing, even tiny events can cause ripples that have major impact and can lead to significant change. The selections of butterflies are native to both Europe and Asia, indicating that elephant conservation is an issue, which transcends national boundaries". Best £30 I've ever spent - a piece of art I love and I hope with lots more art lovers like me doing the same, together we will make a difference to the plight of this gorgeous creature.