A new BookBench sculpture inspired by Aberdeen FC’s Scottish Cup win has been revealed, with fans able to see it for the first time at the Music Hall this weekend.
Painted by local artist Ewen Milne, this
BookBench commemorates Aberdeen FC’s triumphant 2025 Scottish Cup victory
through a blend of nostalgia, storytelling and vibrant illustration.
Entitled Worth the W-Eight, the
sculpture is signed by Graeme Shinnie and captures the iconic moment when the
Aberdeen FC captain lifted the Scottish Cup trophy at Hampden.
The back cover features the
jubilant open-top bus parade on Union Street, where thousands of
supporters gathered to celebrate with their heroes.
Integrated into the design
is Aberdeen FC’s Worth the W-Eight branding, a clever nod to the club’s eight
Scottish Cup triumphs to date, along with match stats to honour each victory.
Sponsored by Bilfinger and Hellmann
Worldwide Logistics and delivered by charity Clan Cancer Support, The BookBench
Trail featured 41 large BookBench sculptures displayed across a 500-mile route
from Stonehaven, Aberdeen to Lerwick, Shetland during the summer.
Ewen Milne originally created an
Aberdeen FC inspired BookBench which was positioned at Pittodrie when the trail
was live, with the sculpture being one of the most photographed and most voted
for by trail app users.
Entitled AFC – The Celebration Sofa, the
sculpture commemorated Aberdeen FC’s 40th anniversary
of winning the Scottish Premier League Championship in the 1984/1985 season.
Following success for the Dons at
Hampden in May, Clan approached Ewen to create another Scottish Cup
themed sculpture to be unveiled at this weekend’s Farewell event,
before going under the hammer with celebrity auctioneer Natasha Raskin Sharp in
October.
Ewen, who is a lifelong Dons fan,
immediately set to work on the design and kindly waived his fee for the
charity.
He said: “Like so many fans, I felt
unbelievably proud when Aberdeen went against the odds to win at Hampden
earlier this year, so to get the chance to capture that in a piece of art was a
real privilege.
“This sculpture celebrates the power of
football to unite the city and its communities, and the fact that its sale at
auction will help an important local charity provide lifeline services makes it
all the more meaningful.”
Worth the W-Eight will be on
public display at the Music Hall at the Farewell Weekend on Saturday, September
20 and Sunday, September 21.
The event will offer members of the public access to an indoor display of all 41 large BookBench sculptures and all 38 mini BookBench sculptures which have been designed by local schools.
Fiona Fernie, Clan’s CEO, said: “We’d like to thank Ewen and the team at Aberdeen FC for their support in creating what we believe is an incredibly unique and iconic piece of art.
“This sculpture captures some of the most unforgettable moments from this year’s Scottish Cup weekend and we hope it will be a hit with Dons fans who can see it for the first time at our Farewell Weekend before it is given its forever home at our auction in October
In partnership with Wild in Art, The BookBench Trail aims to raise awareness of the leading north-east cancer charity which runs five support centres and additional outreach programmes across Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Orkney and Shetland and generate vital funding for its services.
The Farewell Weekend will take place at Aberdeen Music Hall from 10am – 5pm on Saturday, September 20 and on Sunday, September 21. Tickets are priced at £8 per person and entry is free for children under five.
Clan chose the 1.4metre wide BookBench sculpture, which depicts an open book, because of its lifeline listening support service which enables anyone impacted by a cancer diagnosis to open up and tell their story.
The large sculptures and specially commissioned mini sculptures will be sold at auction at The Chester Hotel on Wednesday, October 8, 2025 with all proceeds going to Clan Cancer Support.
All mini BookBench sculptures created by local pupils will be returned to schools following the Farewell Weekend.
Clan’s previous trail projects Light the North (2021) and The Big Hop Trail (2023) have raised a combined total of more than £520,000 for Clan services.
For more information and to buy tickets for the Farewell Weekend, please visit: https://www.clancancersupport.org/the-book-bench-trail/farewell-weekend/
For more information on how to bid on this BookBench, please visit: https://www.clancancersupport.org/the-book-bench-trail/auction/