A spot fit for a King

Oor Wullie’s Big Bucket Trail launches today (Monday 17^th June) and VisitScotland have revealed their sponsored sculpture will be located at Inverness Castle.

‘Oor Nevis’ will sit in front of the entrance to the 19^th Century castle for the next 11 weeks as Oor Wullie’s BIG Bucket Trail hits the streets and public spaces of Scotland.

The world’s first nationwide trail will see all of Scotland’s major cities unite for 11 weeks, with 200 life-sized Oor Wullie sculptures taking to the streets in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Perth and Stirling, supporting children’s hospital charities and celebrating Scotland’s favourite and forever young son, Oor Wullie.

Artist Douglas Roulston was commissioned to design VisitScotland’s Oor Wullie sculpture and chose to paint the view from the top of Ben Nevis as it captured the true essence of Scotland's rugged, remote and colourful landscape. The sculpture was therefore aptly named ‘Oor Nevis’.

The statue was carried up Ben Nevis by a team of 13 on 11^th May, before attending the Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup at Fort William from 1^st – 2^nd June where it was signed by professional street trials rider Danny MacAskill.

From June to September Oor Wullie’s Big Bucket Trail is expected to attract over one million members of the public who will be encouraged to explore the country with free maps and a downloadable app, in order to ‘spot’ all sculptures within their city and all five cities.

A further 350 mini ‘wee’ sculptures decorated by local schools, youth and community groups will accompany the large trail, forming a mini trail, taking situ in local libraries, art galleries, shopping centres and public spaces where families can take part in fun activity.

Visitors who wish to explore the trail can access the maps at VisitScotland iCentre’s in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Perth and Stirling, or by visiting www.oorwullie.com.

In September, when the trail ends, all the sculptures will be brought together in their respective cities and exhibited for three days as part of a Farewell Weekend. The culmination of the campaign will be a series of regional auctions to raise significant funds for each of the charities involved.

Chris Taylor, VisitScotland Regional Leadership Director, said: “It’s great to see ‘Oor Nevis’ at its Inverness location as Oor Wullie’s Big Bucket Trail gets underway. Capturing the rugged beauty on view from the top of Ben Nevis, this wonderfully painted sculpture celebrates Scotland’s stunning scenery and landscapes, which we know to be a major draw for visitors.

“I hope the statue inspires visitors to Inverness to see more of Scotland, which will be a major benefit to our economy. Tourism is more than a holiday experience, it is the heartbeat of the Scottish economy and touches every community, generating income, jobs and social change. At VisitScotland we want to champion collaboration and spearhead innovation, and this nationwide trail is an excellent new way to get visitors travelling across Scotland. We are delighted to be involved in this exciting project that will well help raise awareness and valuable funds to support these important children’s charities.”

Douglas Roulston, Oor Nevis Artist, said: “I loved every minute if producing Sid The Penguin for the Maggie’s Penguin Trail last year, so I jumped at the chance to work with VisitScotland for Oor Wullie’s Big Bucket Trail. I wanted to produce a design that showcased Scotland's landscape so the view from the top of the country’s highest peak made perfect sense.”

Neil Cooney, Project Manager of Oor Wullie’s Big Bucket Trail, said: “’Oor Nevis’ is a fantastic addition to the trail and it is sure to attract many visitors to Inverness Castle and the surrounding area.

“It’s great to have VisitScotland’s support for Oor Wullie’s Big Bucket Trail which celebrates one of Scotland’s best-known icons. Following the success of the Oor Wullie Bucket Trail in 2016, we are looking forward to raising money for local causes, as well as boosting local tourism.”

Supported by DC Thomson Media, custodians of Oor Wullie, Scotland’s three children’s hospital charities (Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, the ARCHIE Foundation and Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity) have joined forces with international arts events company, Wild in Art, to create the world’s first nationwide art trail. The project aims to significantly boost Scotland’s provision for children and young people in hospital by raising essential funds through the art trail, associated events and five city auctions. This is the first time that all Scotland’s Children’s Hospitals have united for the same worthy cause.

For more information about the Oor Wullie’s BIG Bucket Trail, go to www.oorwullie.com

For more information about VisitScotland, go to www.visitscotland.org