Campaign crosses halfway mark

The ARCHIE Foundation, supported by The Courier, has been fundraising to ‘make the difference’ to the new children’s theatre suite for more than a year, and is continuing to work towards a £2 million target.

Their head of fundraising for the Tayside Children’s Hospital appeal, Emma White, said: “We are past the halfway mark thanks to the wonderful generosity of the community and businesses of Tayside.

“This year will be very important for the appeal. We hope to raise the rest of the funds within the next 12 months.

“We know that will be hard work but there are some exciting plans in place for this year and there is a lot of support for this very important new facility which will make such a difference for children of Tayside.”

The fundraising campaign has inspired thousands of people to get involved and do their bit to support the Tayside Children’s Hospital upgrade.

Undoubtedly the most famous of these ventures was the Oor Wullie Bucket Trail, which captured the imagination of people from across Dundee, Scotland and beyond last summer.

The auction raised £883,000, and it is thought several thousand was also raised through donations and the farewell event held in Slessor Gardens shortly before the statues went under the hammer.

The legacy of Oor Wullie was also strongly featured in the Christmas window by Gillies of Broughty Ferry, which raised £10,000, and in miniature versions of some of the sculptures, which are on sale from the ARCHIE Foundation shop.

Meanwhile, a packed programme of community events has secured funds for the appeal.

Two annual events, Beards for Bairns and the Virtual Challenge, have attracted support from across Dundee and Tayside, and ARCHIE’s Big Cake Day has now become an annual event, with this year’s set for April 28.

It is hoped to raise the rest of the funds for the children’s hospital at Ninewells in the next year.