Owls swoop into Bath this summer to raise funds for local charities
Melanie May | 7 February 2018 | News
Bath will be visited by a 100-strong parliament of owls this summer, in the latest sculpture trail for the city.
Minerva’s Owls of Bath 2018 will run for three months from the end of June to celebrate Bath’s Roman heritage and raise funds for local charities including the Royal United Hospital’s new Cancer Centre and the UK Little Owl Project.
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The large owls are 1.1m tall and will perch on 40cm high plinths in and around the city. They will be sponsored by a range of businesses and organisations and turned into unique artworks by artists, designers and celebrities. Smaller 75cm owlets will also be available exclusively for schools, community groups and charities to sponsor and decorate and will belong to them after the event.
The Owl & the Pussycat: the first decorated owl, by artist Jane Callan
In June, the 100 owls and owlets will take up their perches across Bath and the surrounding region for almost three months over the summer. At the end of the trail, the owls and owlets will be gathered together in preparation for the ‘Hoot Farewell’ auction preview weekend in early October.
All the large owls will then be auctioned for charity in late October with the owlets flying back to the schools and community groups that decorated them as a lasting legacy of the event. 100% of the event profits will be donated to four local charities – 70% to the Royal United Hospital( RUH)’s new Cancer Centre, due to open in 2019, and 30% divided equally between Bath & North East Somerset Young Carers, the Roman Baths Archway Project and the Bath-based UK Little Owl Project.
Tim Hobbs, Head of Fundraising at the Forever Friends Appeal (the fundraising arm of the RUH) said:
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“We are delighted to be chosen as a Minerva’s Owls charity recipient as this is a wonderful opportunity to raise funds to dramatically improve the quality of the Cancer and Therapies Services being delivered to patients at the RUH.
“We want to help the RUH provide the best possible support for patients diagnosed with cancer through to survivorship, remission or end of life care, and provide a nurturing and therapeutic environment in the new Therapies Centre so we can make a real difference to the level of healthcare provided in this region and beyond.”
Sonia Hutchison, CEO B&NES Carers Centre, added:
“Young Carers have so much responsibility at such a tender age so things like the Minerva Owls sculpture trail provide an opportunity for them to just be children and enjoy themselves. That’s why we’re delighted to be a charity partner of such a great event that will make such a big difference to Young Carers in the future.”
The project takes its inspiration from the Roman Goddess Minerva, to whom the Roman Baths Temple was dedicated in the 1st century AD, and whose animal symbol was the owl of wisdom. The sculpture trail follows Bath’s Pigs and Lions trails, and marks the 10th anniversary of the former.
Minerva’s Owls event organiser, Megan Witty, said:
“People have been asking us for some time to organise another sculpture trail for the city along similar lines to the popular Pigs and Lions of Bath sculpture trails. Events like this are a fantastic way of shining a spotlight on our region’s creativity and heritage, increasing visitor numbers, bringing colour and fun activities to the streets of Bath, and raising much needed funds for local charities.”
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.