LOROS Hospice has shared the impact of their 2021 flagship fundraising event, Rocket Round Leicester. Throughout the summer of 2021, LOROS presented the city’s biggest art trail and today have announced that a total profit of £317,141 was raised for specialist patient care.
Having partnered with leading producer of public art events Wild in Art, Rocket Round Leicester saw 10-weeks of trail, events and adventure as 40 giant Rocket sculptures weaved a trail of discovery across the city. Bringing the community together following the COVID-19 pandemic, trail-goers navigated Leicester's streets and open spaces in a mission to find all of the technicolour sculptures, designed by local and national artists.
Through donations, partnership opportunities, fundraising, events and the auction of the sculptures, Rocket Round Leicester raised a record-breaking amount for the charity. Quantified, the amount could pay for over 18 months of LOROS’ counselling service which supports over 650 people annually. Many of the Hospice’s patients and their family members will attend multiple counselling appointments each year depending on their needs; throughout 2020, this service delivered close to 3,000 sessions.
Reflecting on Rocket Round Leicester’s success, LOROS have revealed that over 270,000 people actively engaged with the trail, contributing to an estimated £9.87 million total additional visitor spend in the local economy. It’s predicted that over 250,000 people travelled into the city for the event from across the Midlands, South East, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber.
Recognising the support of the community, 46 local businesses helped to bring the trail to life through sponsorship and gift-in-kind offerings.
42 local schools and youth groups fundraised almost £45,000 for LOROS, with over 19,000 young people taking part in the trail’s Learning Programme. Designing their own miniature Rocket sculptures known as Junior Jets to form their own smaller trail across the city’s cultural and community hubs, it’s estimated that some 40,000 people visited the libraries, museums and heritage sites to see them.
Rob Parkinson, LOROS Chief Executive says, “Rocket Round Leicester demonstrated how much of an incredible place Leicester is to live, work and visit. The trail injected much-needed colour and conversation back to the streets and brought people together when it was needed most. It was a joy to give something back to the local community following years of generosity and care towards LOROS.
“The support shown from organisations, schools, groups and everybody who enjoyed the trail in some way has been incredible. We really couldn’t have raised this outstanding amount for LOROS patients and their families without you.
“An astronomical thank you to all those involved!”
LOROS Hospice cares for over 2,500 terminally ill patients and their families across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland each year. Providing free high-quality care, LOROS relies on the generosity of the local community and businesses to raise £6 million of vital funds annually to continue their work.
The full Rocket Round Leicester impact report can be viewed online here.
There are many different ways to support LOROS further. From taking part in an upcoming event, hosting your own fundraiser, volunteering in one of LOROS’ 29 shops or donating regularly.
