WATCH: Dundee says farewell to the Oor Wullie Bucket Trail
Dundonians are getting their final chance to see all the statues in the Oor Wullie Bucket trail this weekend.
Dundonians are getting their final chance to see all the statues in the Oor Wullie Bucket trail this weekend.
Lizzie Parker has this report:
Over 70,000 locals and visitors are estimated to have taken part in the public art event over the summer.
VisitScotland also believes it has led to a boost in footfall at its iCentre with visitor numbers up by over 24% compared to the same time last year and retail sales up by 45% between 27 June and 17 August.
Up to 15,000 people are expected to take part the Oor Wullie Bucket Trail Farewell Gathering which takes place in Slessor Gardens, Dundee between 9 - 11 September. 8,000 were tickets sold in the first 24 hours with all proceeds from the event set to go to the ARCHIE Foundation Tayside Appeal.
The statues will then be auctioned off at the Dundee Rep on 13 September to raise money for the ARCHIE Foundation’s Tayside Appeal for a new twin-operating theatre paediatric surgical suite for Tayside Children’s Hospital.
The project included 15 touring Oor Wullies, which visited Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Perth, and Stirling. 35 mini-statues were also on display at libraries in the city of discovery.
After the Farewell Gathering, on 13th September all of the Oor Wullie sculptures will be sold at an international auction at the Dundee Rep Theatre where businesses, individuals, enthusiastic Oor Wullie fans and even those overseas can bid remotely through iBidder for the chance to call their favourite sculpture their own.
All proceeds from the auction and Farewell Gathering are going to The ARCHIE Foundation's appeal to raise funds to create a brand new twin operating theatre paediatric surgical suite for the Tayside Children's Hospital at Ninewells.
Cassie Thompson, Head of Fundraising at The ARCHIE Foundation, commented:
"Oor Wullie's Bucket Trail has been a bigger hit than we could have dreamed of and we are incredibly proud, as organisers, to have been able to have brought a project of this scale, along with our wonderful partners Wild In Art and DC Thomson, to Dundee. The project really has captured the public's imagination and celebrated art in such a fun and creative way. That's why Oor Wullie deserves a great farewell party.
"As the auction approaches, we are appealing to businesses and individuals to make sure they don't miss out on the opportunity to bid on their favourite sculpture and be in with a chance of being a permanent owner of one of the Oor Wullies. All proceeds from the auction go towards The ARCHIE Foundation's Tayside Children's Hospital Appeal, making a real difference to the lives of sick children and their families across the area."