A £3,000 sculpture of an elephant has been knocked over in Lichfield on the first day of St Giles Hospice’s March of the Elephants charity art trail.
A spokesperson for the hospice believes that the vandalism was deliberate.
The sculpture – named Vince – was badly damaged and had to be removed from its Bore Street location. It is currently receiving immediate repair.
Vince is one of 70 elephant statues that were installed across Lichfield, Sutton Coldfield, and Tamworth on 30 June.
Each of the statues has been designed by local artists and will be auctioned off for charity in September.
Vince, who was designed by Jenny Marshall, features a design that is inspired by Van Gogh’s The Starry Night.
Given the extent of the damage caused to Vince, he may no longer be fit for auction. However, a JustGiving page has been set up to raise the funds that the sculpture would have received through auction.
The project event manager Georgia Haynes stated: “It is with great sadness that we announce one of our beloved sculptures, Vince, was damaged on the first day of the trail.”
She also added: “Sadly, we believe this act was deliberate and unfortunately Vince is too badly damaged to remain on the trail at this time.”
Experienced writer and journalist James McKean leads the daily editorial output at StaffsLive. To contact him, email news@staffslive.co.uk
Typical Lichfield yobs. No respect. Lawless Lichfield