Elmer is here to stay! Over the last three months, there’s been a buzz around our Blackpool Centre of Excellence and the local area, from the herd of artistically decorated Elmer sculptures!

SSCL sponsored the ‘Trailblazer’ volunteering scheme as well as our very own Elmer sculpture ‘Creative Fusion’, painted by British artist Mr ASingh.

Here are some fun facts about our time spent with Elmer:
• 7,447 people recorded their visit to our sculpture on the Wild in Art app.
• £1500 was donated to Trinity Hospice following the first 1500 visits.
• 406.5 hours of volunteering by our colleagues.
• 149 votes for our sculpture.
• 37 SSCL colleagues volunteered as Trailblazers.

Our colleagues Jane, Angela and Africa, attended the special Elmer Auction, to raise important funds for Trinity Hospice Charity through the sale of the unique Elmer sculptures.

We couldn’t resist bidding on our own Elmer and as the paddles went up, in a bidding frenzy, we won the final bid as the hammer went down! We can now proudly welcome Elmer as a permanent member of our team. We were also delighted to be joint bidders on the Elmer’s Book Bench to be commissioned for children to enjoy at Brian House.

Elmer’s Big Parade Blackpool has provided a brilliant opportunity to increase our community spirit and support our SSCL values while providing our colleagues with fantastic volunteering roles. Ruth Duffy, Head of R2R and Accounting for SSCL Government said:

“I got the opportunity to do a few shifts in the pop-up shop in the middle of Blackpool town centre. What an amazing experience. I got to meet a number of the Brian House and Trinity Hospital staff and learnt more about all the fantastic work they do.

“I worked with brilliant volunteers and engaged with so many members of the public who were taking part in the Elmer Trail. It’s great to be supported by a company who actively encourages these opportunities and makes a difference to our local communities”.