Since launching in July, ellenor’s Dartford We’re Going on a Bear Hunt art trail has brought a splash of colour to Dartford and Bluewater, with people of all ages heading out to discover 31 brightly painted Big Bears alongside Bear Cubs created by local schools and community groups.

But behind the bears is a much bigger community effort. Businesses, community groups, schools, artists, volunteers, partners and visitors have all played a part in bringing the trail to life helping ellenor continue its work with local people and families.

For Ruxley Manor Garden Centre, one of the trail’s sponsors, the relationship with ellenor is particularly personal.

Earlier this year, Ruxley lost a much-loved colleague, Lisa Robinson, who died from cancer aged just 52 after receiving care from ellenor.

For James Evans, a director at the five-generation family business, supporting the local hospice was a very easy decision.

“We can relate to ellenor first hand as our Lifestyle Department team leader, Lisa Robinson, who had cancer, died at the hospice earlier this year,” he says. “She was only 52 and was a lovely lady and her family praised ellenor’s care.

So, supporting ellenor was a very easy decision to make. It gives us a chance to give something back and it’s good to support a charity which has such a positive impact on people’s lives.”

One of Ruxley’s two bears is Bear in Bloom, one of the 31 Big Bears on the trail. Painted by award-winning artist Amy Wormald, the sculpture’s vivid floral design reflects Ruxley’s roots in horticulture.

“When we partnered with ellenor and first spoke about the bear hunt we thought it sounded interesting and obviously we chose a design which we felt linked with our business,” says James.

Ruxley has another bear, All Good Things, outside John Lewis at Bluewater. It was given to the business by ellenor as a thank-you for its wider support, including a large raffle and generous donations of circus tickets for ellenor patients, families and staff.

When James went to see the bear in Dartford Park, he saw two women scanning the QR code because they could see they would get a good offer at Ruxley.

“The way the whole thing has been put together is great. Businesses are getting a mention although ellenor is the focus, which is the way it should be.”

The trail gives ellenor a chance to reach people who might otherwise never have thought about hospice care.

For Ruxley, the relationship does not begin or end with a sculpture.

The garden centre has collecting boxes at its tills and a clothing bank for ellenor charity shops, which James says is constantly “jam-packed”. The business has also donated circus tickets for ellenor patients, families and staff.

“The circus comes twice a year, and the last performance on a Thursday is always for charity. It’s nice to be able to give something which is tangible,” he says.

Ruxley will also be donating one of its Ice Rink sessions this Christmas to ellenor, as well as tickets to its Grotto.

For James, supporting local charities is part of being a local business.

“All businesses have a responsibility to give something back to the community, but of course that is relative to the size of the business,” he says. “Even if you just have a few collecting pots at the tills, there’s a moral duty to support local charities.

“If we didn’t have places like ellenor it would have a massive impact in a lot of ways.”

He says the connection with a local charity can be more meaningful than simply making a donation.

“National charities are fantastic and are massive players, but we feel having a relationship with a local charity is more emotive,” he says. “We have regular catch ups with the fundraising team and if there is something we can do to help with something, then we will.”

James also has a personal understanding of palliative care. His wife works in the field of paediatric palliative care, something he says helps put the work of organisations such as ellenor into perspective.

He believes there is still more to do to change people’s perceptions of hospices.

“At ellenor there is a lovely coffee shop and garden and there is very much a community feel, which breaks down the barriers when it comes to understanding what hospices are,” he says.

“People have preconceived ideas and think of them with foreboding in a maudlin way, but they are the opposite.”

It is a message that sits naturally alongside the Bear Hunt, which has brought ellenor into public spaces across Dartford and Bluewater.

For a few weeks this summer, the work of ellenor has been visible in a different way. Not behind the doors of a hospice, but out in the streets, parks and shopping areas of Dartford and Bluewater.

The Bear Hunt ends on 13 September, but Ruxley’s relationship with ellenor will continue through volunteering, fundraising and the everyday support of a local business for a local hospice.

And for ellenor, the trail has offered something beyond the bears themselves: an opportunity to bring hospice care into the heart of the community, challenge some of the misconceptions around hospices and help more people understand the support available to local families.