The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Bucketloads of fun as children wave off wee army of Oor Wullies
Music and fundraising as statues go for sale to aid operating suite
Much-loved Oor Wullie sculptures go under the hammer next week and as well as meeting the cheeky lad in a range of guises on Scotland’s streets, some people organised themed projects to ramp up the fun.
One such was the “Oor Musical Bucket Trail”, the brainchild of Angus Council music teacher Heather Miranda to encourage pupils to keep practising music over the summer holidays.
Before the schools split up, mum-oftwo Heather hid 40 colourful buckets around her pupils’ music classrooms.
“Inside each one was a musical challenge for them to complete over the summer,” said Heather, 38, who teaches strings.
“These ranged from Oor Racer which meant to play very quickly, and Oor Funny Face, which encouraged children to make funny faces while they played.
“There was also Oor Deaf Old Granny, which encouraged pupils to play as if they were in a big concert hall for the lovely old lady in the back row, and Oor Sleepyhead, which asked pupils to play with their eyes closed. There was a special reward for those who came up with an idea for a different musical challenge of their own and an extra special reward for those who got a photo of themselves practising their instrument next to an Oor Wullie.”
More than 70 pupils took part across six schools – Arbroath High School and its feeder primary schools.
More than 200 statues of Oor Wullie were dotted around Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness for 11 weeks over summer.
All 32 Dundee sculptures – as well as the two that were in Perth and St Andrews – will be together from today to Sunday at Slessor Gardens.
An auction will take place to raise cash for the ARCHIE Foundation on Monday at Dundee Rep Theatre.
The money raised will go towards building a new children’s operating theatre suite within Ninewells Hospital.
Project manager Neil Cooney said: “We’ve had more than 1.5 million sculpture visits across the country, with an estimated 180,000 taking place in Tayside and Fife.
“Anyone who didn’t manage to get round all the Oor Wullies will have one last chance to see them when the Dundee sculptures come together in Slessor Gardens.”
Tickets are needed to access Slessor Gardens to see all the Tayside and Fife statues together and are available via Dundee Box Office’s City Square shop and website.