Moor Otters sale raises cash and boosts business
THE sale of the Moor Otter Arts Trail sculptures – each decorated and placed around Dartmoor during the summer – has raised £69,330 and helped moorland businesses recover from the pandemic.
The otter and cub sculptures, all decorated by artists and creatives in a variety of colours and themes, captured the imagination of thousands when they were ‘let loose’ across the National Park and further afield this summer.
The trail finally got underway in May 2021, having been postponed from its 2020 date due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Eighty-one otter and cub statues, standing tall on plinths, were set up on five different trails and scores of loyal ‘otter spotters’ searched to find them. Many people made donations along the way at each sculpture or online.
A collection of 56 otters were auctioned online by The Saleroom and a special group of 25 ‘golden otters’ were auctioned at a live event by Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood in Exeter on 2 October.
The live auction raised £25,980 and the online auction raised £31,990
The highest bid went for ‘Teigny and Tiny’ by Teignmouth-based artist Laura Wall. It fetched £3,220 in the online auction.
Also attracting major interest and generous bids was ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ by Elizabeth Kitson. The roaming otter and one of the 25 golden otters sold for £3,020
Three sculptures, ‘Mother of Pearl – The Pearly Queen of Dartmoor’ by Corinna Barrell; Mosaic Rocks; ‘Wheal Otters’ by Alexis’ Art and ‘Agnes and Olave!’ by Alice Lovell and the Buckfastleigh Guides, all sold at a ‘buy it now’ price before the auctions even got started.
The sculptures are now on their way to their new homes.
Pamela Woods, chair of the Dartmoor National Park Authority, said: “The Moor Otters Arts Trail was aimed at encouraging people to explore Dartmoor in new ways, supporting businesses as the national Covid recovery effort got underway while raising funds for vital conservation work. We’re pleased to say we think it has achieved exactly that! We’ve had terrific feedback throughout especially from our community of otter spotters on Facebook. It’s been a wonderful way to celebrate Dartmoor.
“My thanks go to the team who worked behind the scenes at the authority to make it a success, the talented artists for creating such remarkable pieces of art, the businesses who hosted an otter while coping with their own Covid-related challenges, our valued partners and sponsors for their vital contributions, and, of course, everyone who helped raise funds for Donate for Dartmoor along the way.”
The main sponsor of the Moor Otters Arts Trail 2021 was South West Water. David Smith, Upstream Thinking and Biodiversity Team Manager, said: “The Postcards of Perambulation’ otter we sponsored, which features a bog pool created by our own team on Hangingstone, will now reside in our Exeter office, reminding us of the great work that has been done, and what needs to be done in the future.”
‘We’ve had terrific feedback. It’s been a wonderful way to celebrate Dartmoor’ PAMELA WOODS