New stag statue marks 25 years
Highland Safaris sees steel structure unveiled in Dull
Tourists in Highland Perthshire will now be able to marvel at a brand new three metre tall statue of a red deer stag.
To mark the milestone 25 years of Highland Safaris, who run Land Rover safaris in Highland Perthshire, the steel statue was unveiled last week in the village of Dull.
The statue was made by Aberfeldy’s Bailey Pearce (17), who works in the town’s The Workshop.
Young Bailey was joined by a host of representatives from all over the country at Highland Safaris for the grand unveiling of the deer last week.
Donald Riddell, who founded Highland Safaris back in 1992, said: “The stag looks fantastic, we are absolutely delighted with it, and our thanks go to Bailey for performing the honours today, along with all his colleagues from The Workshop in Aberfeldy.
“They handled our commission with enormous commitment and attention to detail. Thanks also to JGB Steelcraft of Hillington, Glasgow, who carried out the cutting and fabrication of the steel.
“A proud stag features on our logo which has served us well for the past 25 years.
“Symbolically, it represents resilience and strength which can be said to sum up the Scottish spirit our visitors so admire.”
Paul Parmenter, manager at The Workshop, said they were delighted to see Bailey recognised for his work on the stag project.
He said: “People of all ages come to us to learn wood working, metal working and laser cutting, in addition to business management, although we particularly focus on helping young people who face barriers to employment.
“Since we opened in 2014, we have been brilliantly supported by the local community, working with businesses such as Highland Safaris to create a huge range of products that have taught valuable skills to our trainees.
“We were delighted to be commissioned to design the new Highland Safaris stag that will now take pride of place attracting people to their business and will be seen by thousands of visitors to the area over the next few years. It has provided a really interesting challenge, and we are very proud of what has been created.”
He continued: “Bailey Pearce is a fitting youngster to be involved in this day of celebration for Highland Safaris as he was involved in making the prototype models for the final design of the stag, using laser cutting.
“He is now very skilled in this technique, and, having struggled with mainstream education, has now gone from strength to strength.”
Bailey Pearce and the team at Highland Safaris were congratulated by Jim Clarkson, VisitScotland’s regional partnerships director. He said: “Our scenery and landscape is one of the top reasons that people visit Scotland. Over the past 25 years, Highland Safaris has played a significant role in bringing visitors closer to Perthshire’s natural environment.
“It is incredibly fitting then, that they are marking this milestone anniversary with an impressive stag installation - a lasting legacy of this achievement and a nod to one of the country’s most celebrated species.”
He added: “Highland Safaris, one of the region’s five-star attractions and a member of our VisitScotland information partner programme, is a vital part of the region’s naturebased tourism offering and has undoubtedly helped attract more visitors to this stunning part of Highland Perthshire.”