New art trail to bear in mind after success of the Big Hoot...
LAST year’s Big Hoot owl hunt across Birmingham was such a success it is set for a comeback in 2017 – but this time with sun bears.
The city’s biggest public art event will next year be called The Big Sleuth – with all cash raised going to Birmingham Children’s Hospital again.
The Big Hoot saw 89 owl statues, individually decorated by the great and the good of the city, dotted across Birmingham.
The trail stretched 94 miles from start to finish and attracted huge interest from Brummies and visitors alike.
The statues were then auctioned in aid of the hospital.
The sun bear was chosen for next year’s trail because it is the smallest of the world’s eight bear species – making it the ideal choice for the children’s hospital to help it raise vital funds when the bears go to auction.
The project is so named because a sleuth is the collective noun for a group of bears.
Michelle McLoughlin, chief nursing officer at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, said: “The Big Sleuth is really important to Birmingham Children’s Hospital as not only will it inspire civic pride and give families another opportunity to get active on a free and fun day out, but we also hope to raise over half a million pounds to support the pioneering work we do here each day.
“We are at the beginning of another really exciting journey with this project, one which we hope will bring lots of sleuthing, joy and laughter to our city.”