1st
February, 2016
Oor Wullie is on the hunt for Bucket
Trail sponsors
As 2016 gets into full swing, Dundee is preparing to be
invaded by not one, not two, but dozens
of giant Oor Wullie sculptures to wreak havoc and mischief as Oor Wullie’s
Bucket Trail, the biggest mass participation public art event ever seen in the
region, is set to arrive in the City of Discovery this summer.
As preparations for the Bucket Trail gather momentum,
organisers are, with a little bit of Oor Wullie’s unique charm, continuing to
appeal to businesses across Dundee, Perth and beyond, to help bring the art
project to life and create a lasting legacy for the region by sponsoring an Oor
Wullie sculpture.
Organisers, The ARCHIE Foundation, DC Thomson and Wild In
Art, are hoping to see over 50 individually designed Oor Wullie sculptures
beautifully decorated by an array of local and national artists. As well as
providing an opportunity to showcase the wealth of creative talent in the area,
organisers are appealing for businesses to be part of a project which will
contribute to the economic, cultural and social life of the area.
After 10 weeks of posing for selfies and making thousands of
new pals, each Oor Wullie sculpture will be sold at a special auction in Dundee.
All the proceeds will go to the ARCHIE Foundation’s Tayside Appeal to raise
funds to create a brand new twin theatre suite for the Tayside Children’s
Hospital at Ninewells.
There are many ways that businesses and organisations can
get involved in Oor Wullie’s Bucket Trail and organisers are keen to emphasise
that no business is too big or too small to be part of the adventure. As well
as giant Oor Wullie sculptures being available to sponsor, there are exciting
educational opportunities for schools to receive ‘mini’ Oor Wullie’s for pupils
to design, paint and then display too.
Cassie Thompson, Head of Fundraising at The ARCHIE
Foundation, explained:
“This arts project offers a unique opportunity for
businesses, community organisations and schools to be part of something
incredibly special and engaging for people in Dundee and across Scotland. We
hope our fleet of Oor Wullie’s will capture the public’s imagination and create
a buzz around the city and surrounding areas.”
A range of local businesses have already signed up to
sponsor an Oor Wullie statue including local motoring company, Barnetts
Volkswagen, John Clark Motor Group, Avian and Dundee’s Apex hotel. As part of
their sponsorship agreement, Barnetts Volkswagen’s fleet of courtesy cars will
be branded with Oor Wullie and The ARCHIE Foundation branding to create visual
awareness of the Bucket Trail. The Apex are providing use of their facilities
for some of the art events during the project as part of their collaboration
with the initiative.
Perth-based marketing and PR agency, Volpa, have also joined
the Bucket Trail this month as a sponsor and PR partner for the project. Team
Volpa will provide their services over the next ten months, helping Oor Wullie
shout about his adventure as loudly as he can to help to raise money for the
ARCHIE Foundation’s Tayside Appeal.
Cassie continued:
“We are not solely looking for financial sponsorship. We
want to welcome as many organisations as we can to join in the project and
there may be opportunities for businesses to contribute through their services
as well. In any partnership there is a healthy balance of give and take and we
want businesses of all shapes and sizes to be part of our summer to remember.”
To find out more about Oor Wullie’s Bucket Trail, visit www.oorwulliebuckettrail.com
To discuss sponsorship, contact Neil Cooney on 07960162223
or neil@archiefoundation.org.uk
For further information about the work of The ARCHIE
Foundation, visit www.archiefoundationhome.org.uk
ENDS
For press enquiries contact Anna Gunn on 01738 658187 or a.gunn@volpa.co.uk
Notes to Editors
QUIRKY FACTS
Wild In Art, creators of mass participation public art
events, have introduced characters to the streets of cities all over the world,
from lions in Cape Town, to Superlambananas in Liverpool, to Gromits in
Bristol.
Each Oor Wullie sculpture has been on an intrepid 488 mile
journey, by lorry, from Newport to their spiritual home in Dundee after being
created in the south of Wales.
Oor Wullie is 80-years-old this year. But, he doesn’t look a
day over 11.
The ARCHIE Foundation led another exciting mass
participation arts project in Aberdeen over the summer in 2014. Over 50 wild
dolphins were scattered around the Granite City, all unique and beautifully
painted.
When auctioned, the Golphin Dolphin which was signed by the
professional golfers at the Scottish Open in at Royal Aberdeen that year, sold
for £55,000 – the most paid for any of the wild dolphin sculptures.
In Aberdeen, there was an increase of between 100-250% in
footfall while the wild dolphins were doing their thing two years ago.