Elephants on parade (part 1)

"Lizzie the elephant packed her trunk
And trundled back to the steel mill
Off she went with a trumpety-trump,
Trump, trump, trump!
The Little Herd was hidden
All over town
And fifty-eight large elephants
We searched for up and down!"

I've gone a bit elephant mad this past month. The Herd of Sheffield has arrived, to celebrate the centenary year of Lizzie, the elephant who helped keep Sheffield's steel industry going during the First World War.

I love that everybody seems to have taken the elephants into their hearts. It's no wonder really. As well as being a celebration of local history, they're a fantastic community art project, and are helping raise money for Sheffield Children's Hospital. But I also love the way they've brought the whole city together. I've struck up more conversations with random strangers over the past few weeks than I have over the past few years together.

I've been on a mission to find 'em all. (Who needs Pokemon Go?) My quest has taken me to parts of the city I'd never normally visit, and I've discovered hidden corners I never knew were there. It's been tremendous fun. ( A whole herd of photos under cut )

Elephants on parade (part 2)

( Carry on herding )

Elephants on parade (part 3)

( Reaching the end of the trail )

If you haven't seen the whole herd yet, they're here until the end of September, so catch them while you can!