Have you 'herd' about this summer's elephant trail?

But the pupils’ masterpieces won’t be on show in an art gallery or exhibition.

An elephant, which the Laughton Junior and Infant School kids are busy painting with their own unique designs, will form part of a herd of elephants that will trail through Sheffield city centre.

The Laughton pupils’ work will be just one of dozens statues placed in the Little Herd exhibition between July and September as part of the Herd of Sheffield project.

There will also be more than 40 statues placed across the city.

The elephants will then be auctioned off to raise money for Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

The school is also hoping to raise £500 for the hospital’s charity by holding its own sponsored stampede.

Head teacher Caroline Coates said: “The children are really into it. They absolutely love it.

“The elephant is about three or four feet in size and the children are busy decorating it in lots of different colours and patterns.”

Organisers of the Herd of Sheffield have chosen elephants for the event after Lizzie, an Indian elephant, was used at the area’s steelworks during the First World War after the military bought most of the country’s horses and sent them to the Western Front.

Mrs Coates said: “It’s a really enjoyable project for the children to be involved in but it’s also really interesting.

“We’re also going to be raising some money for charity too which is very important.”