ANM Group, Scotland’s leading co-operative and most progressive farming enterprise, is proud to be supporting the largest series of Oor Wullie charity auctions set to take place in Dundee, Thainstone, Edinburgh and Glasgow in September.
A total of 200 life-sized Oor Wullie sculptures will be sold off by ANM Group Auctioneers Alan Hutcheon, Colin Slessor and Mark Barrack, with the online auctions facilitated by Alan Donald.
Alan Hutcheon, director at ANM and Auctioneer, said: “We are delighted to be involved in such a high-profile charity initiative and once again play our part in raising funds for very worthwhile charities. This is the fourth major charity auction that ANM has facilitated and we’re very proud to have helped raise nearly £2m over the past few years – it’s an incredible achievement by all involved!”
The auctions follow the conclusion of Oor Wullie’s BIG Bucket Trail, the first nationwide public arts trail covering 700 miles across Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness, Edinburgh and Glasgow this summer.
Mr Hutcheon continued: “It’s also great to have our very own ANM-sponsored Oor Wullie here at Thainstone. Our boy, Wullie of the Glen, represents Scotland’s agricultural industry and will certainly raise the profile of the sector and Thainstone as the region’s agri hub. The artist, Shelagh Swanson, did a fantastic job creating the sculpture and her passion for farming is clearly evident in every detail. The ANM team looks forward to the upcoming auctions and achieving the best price for all of the Oor Wullie sculptures.
Commenting on her experience, Scottish contemporary artist Shelagh Swanson said: “Having grown up on a family farm in Caithness, I was excited to be selected to paint an agricultural-themed Oor Wullie. The design was mainly inspired by my upbringing and the many hours spent helping my dad on the farm.
“It took a couple of weeks to bring Wullie of the Glen to life and I am very pleased with the final look and positive feedback received. He features classic country boy attire and is painted with beautiful country scenery, a Hereford bull on the back and is sitting on a bucket made of hay. I’ve also included a depiction of Bennachie on Wullie of the Glen as a nod to the surrounding landscape of Aberdeenshire, my adopted home. I plan on attending the event at Thainstone in September and hope he does well at auction.”
This free art event will run for 11 weeks from June 17 to August 30. Each statue is individually designed by 100 artists, each reflecting a unique aspect of Scotland’s diverse culture.
The goal of the trail is to raise vital funds for all of Scotland’s children’s hospital charities to provide the very best possible care and support for the combined half a million babies, children and young people who are seen each year.
At the end of the summer, the sculptures will be auctioned off and the money raised will be used to support the work of these charities – The ARCHIE Foundation, Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity and Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity.
The ARCHIE Foundation is the official charity of Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital, Tayside Children’s Hospital in Dundee and Highland Children’s Unit in Inverness.
They support the NHS’s world-class care by providing extras to make the difference to sick children, including child-friendly hospital spaces, enhanced staff training, advanced medical equipment, specialist staff posts, emergency funding for families and toys, games and electronics.
Alan Hutcheon Shelagh Swanson and Colin Slessor