Former rugby player and mental health advocate Brent Pope is urging everyone to join the herd and his ‘Elephant in the Room’ movement in aid of Samaritans and supported by Cornmarket.
U2’s Adam Clayton, former broadcaster Charlie Bird, and comedian PJ Gallagher are among the celebrities who have teamed up with high-profile artists to create designs on 4ft baby elephant sculptures for the Elephant in The Room project.
Pope, who for nearly two decades has spoken out about his own life dealing with mental health issues, wants everybody to start having conversations around difficult issues such as mental health. “We all have our elephants in our lives, whatever they may be, and sharing our vulnerabilities can often help start the healing process,” Pope said.
Pope is passionate about this project and teamed up with The Art of Fundraising, over a dozen well-known artists and some famous faces to design and transform the baby elephants into a symbol of hope. The herd of 20 elephants is currently on show to the public in the CHQ Building on Dublin’s Custom House Quay. Passers-by, business leaders, and other organisations can not only visit and pick their favourite elephant in the CHQ Building until early September, but also make an online bid to have one proudly grace their own organisation. All profits from the sale of the elephants will go to Samaritans, which provides a 24-hour Freephone helpline to anyone struggling to cope.
Cornmarket is the first key sponsor of the project which has enabled Brent to start the herd. ‘As Cornmarket’s wellness ambassador Brent actively promotes our wellness programmes so when he shared his idea for Elephant in the Room we were delighted to be involved, and to promote the message that is OK not to feel OK sometimes and its absolutely OK to reach out for help’ said Lisa Kelly, Director of Marketing, Cornmarket.
To find out more visit: elephantintheroom.ie