Talking About The White Elephant In The Van

Ellie enchanted…

atest press release from Vagabond Tours, issued on Tuesday, December 16th 2025…

Vagabond Tours of Ireland is proud to partner with the Kyne Foundation and Elephant in the Room, an Irish mental health initiative founded by Brent Pope, a well known advocate for mental health, as they help to deliver white elephant sculptures to secondary schools across the country.

Best known for small-group adventure tours of Ireland, Vagabond Tours have used their distinctive tour vehicles to drive over 1600km in recent days, distributing these striking elephants and helping to spark meaningful conversations around mental health in school communities.

“At Vagabond, we believe travel and life is about human connection.” said Rob Rankin, CEO of Vagabond. “Supporting Elephant in the Room aligns perfectly with our values of positive impact, community and looking after one another. If our vehicles can help carry this message into schools across Ireland, we’re more than happy to help.”

At the heart of the initiative is an ever growing herd of white elephant sculptures known as ‘Ellie. These elephants appear in participating secondary schools as a visual symbol, encouraging students, teachers and families to address mental health openly and honestly.

Each school also receives a wellbeing pack, designed to support the integration of wellbeing into the curriculum and to engage students through creativity and art. Over time, many of the elephants are transformed with colour and design by students themselves, reflecting individuality, expression and hope.

By supporting Elephant in the Room, Vagabond Tours of Ireland is proud to help create spaces where conversations about mental health can begin early, openly and without stigma. Sometimes, making a positive impact is simply about helping an important message reach the people who need it most.

You can find out more about this Elephant In The Room here and more about Vagabond Tours here.