Oor Wullie is on the hunt for Bucket Trail sponsors

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 gather momentum, organisers are 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.

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.

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, said: “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.

“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