Update: Thank you to everyone who donated knitted giraffes during the project. As Worcester Stands Tall has now ended, we no longer need giraffe items.
Organisers of the city’s forthcoming giraffe trail are calling upon enthusiastic knitters and stitchers to start casting on for a summer knit along.
Worcester Stands Tall, A Wild in Art event brought to the city by St Richard’s Hospice, is encouraging residents to donate knitted giraffes to support the project.
Hundreds of knitted and crochet giraffes have already been donated to the hospice but more are needed.
Sara Matthews, Project Manager for Worcester Stands Tall, explained : “We are calling all keen knitters and giraffe spotters to get their needles at the ready and start knitting!
“We’ve received a huge array of knitted giraffes so far, from the gigantic to the cute and cuddly. But we need more! During the initiative these knitted giraffes will be available for suggested donations from the project’s pop up shop in Crowngate. All the money raised will go towards building a bigger hospice to serve our communities and help us to continue to deliver on-going, compassionate care to patients living with life-limiting illnesses and their loved ones.”
A choice of knit, crochet and felt patterns to inspire creativity are available at http://www.worcesterstandstall.co.uk/fundraising/
Finished giraffes should be sent or delivered to Sara Matthews, Project Manager for Worcester Stands Tall at St Richard’s Hospice in Wildwood Drive, Worcester.
The tower of technicolour giraffe sculptures will arrive in Worcester for a 10-week art trail, hoofing it into the city on Monday, 9 July. A spectacular showcase of 30 painted giraffe sculptures will stand through the city’s streets and open spaces to form a free, six-mile trail.
Alongside the large sculptures will be a display of 27 giraffe calf sculptures, created by schools and community groups, on show in the city’s Crowngate Shopping Centre.
The trail will be a fantastic way to showcase both the city and county to tourists and residents alike.
Of the 57 sculptures, 30 are 8ft tall and have been decorated by artists – both from the local area and across the UK.
There will be an app in time for the trail too – which will be available from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
Once the trail has ended, there will be a final chance to see all 57 sculptures together at Worcester Cathedral before the large giraffes are auctioned. This Farewell Event will take place from Thursday 4 October to Sunday 7 October.
The large sculptures will be auctioned on Thursday 11 October to raise money for the St Richard’s Hospice Build 2020 Appeal.
The appeal aims to raise funds to build a bigger hospice, enabling more patients and families to be cared for in Worcestershire.
The total cost for expanding and redeveloping the existing building in Wildwood Drive, Worcester, is £5.3m.
For more information about Build 2020 visit www.strichards.org.uk/build2020
Worcester Stands Tall is a Wild in Art project, brought to the city by St Richard’s Hospice.
Follow Worcester Stands Tall on Facebook @WorcesterStandsTall, Twitter @WorcStandsTall, Instagram @worcesterstands or visit www.worcesterstandstall.co.uk
Worcester Stands Tall is supported by presenting partners Worcestershire Ambassadors and Crowngate Shopping Centre, education partner West Midland Safari Park and media partners Free Radio and Worcester News.