As our elephant prepares to join 55 others across the borough, students have worked hard to create a design that reflects a range of ideas and make a meaningful impact for the public.  

Throughout the Spring Term, Year 8 and Year 10 CAS groups have been using their creativity to support the Thames Hospice Trunks Across the Thames public art trail.

Year 10 students have developed new skills in linocut printmaking and etching, creating a variety of elephant-inspired designs. Their growing “herd” has also contributed ideas for LP’s own public elephant sculpture, which will feature on the trail between Slough and Windsor this June.

Meanwhile, Year 8 students have explored charcoal, crochet, and origami, drawing inspiration from elephant artwork from around the world.

Art scholars have played a key role, helping to shape the final concept ahead of the Easter deadline. Themes of nature, peace, harmony, and even biscuits, reflect both our Quaker values and heritage, alongside elements of Reading’s identity, including the River Thames, meteorology and nearby rural landscapes.

With the trail set to launch this summer across Slough and Windsor, the LP community is ready to “give it some welly for Nelly” with a range of fundraising activities. These will include a house welly wanging competitions, naming the LP elephant, art and craft sales, and an end-of-year exhibition showcasing student work. So far £270 has been raised! 

This inspiring project, hosted by Wild in Art in support of Thames Hospice, has been made possible through the support of LP’s wider community, including the PSC and Amicus.

The full trail will go live in June, with a map to help visitors find each elephant. We look forward to seeing our own (yet-to-be-named) sculpture out in the community before it returns to the Park in the autumn.

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