Statues painted for a nationwide trail of Oor Wullie figures are set to return to Dundee next month for a one-off exhibition for charity.
Archie and Wullie's Braw Bucket Bash will see a collection of the Oor Wullie Bucket Trail sculptures housed in the Overgate shopping centre. It will feature some of the most popular statues from the trail, including one never before seen by public eyes.
The statues have been gathered together again for the first time since they were created and auctioned off to support children's hospital charity the Archie Foundation. The new exhibition is no different, with Archie once again benefitting from donations and merchandise sales while the show runs from July 14 to 24 at the Gather events space inside the centre.
Centre bosses are touting the free exhibition as a rare chance to get up close and personal with some of the auctioned-off statues before they are returned to their private owners. Metta Ramsay, community manager at the Overgate, said the exhibition would be an "unmissable attraction" for locals.
She added: "For the first time since 2017, the public will have the opportunity to see many of the incredible Oor Wullie sculptures up close in Gather and really get a chance to appreciate the detail and artistry of each one.
"We are particularly excited to be revealing a new Oor Wullie sculpture never-before-seen by the public. The Archie Foundation is a wonderful charity, doing so much to help children across Tayside and we hope visitors to the exhibition in Overgate will also consider taking the time to enjoy the Oor Wullie and Archie merchandise shop, and support where possible.”
Among the statues set to appear are Oor Lilie, snapped up by local legal firm Thorntons, and Oor Freddie - a later sculpture paying tribute to Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.
Chris Duke, Tayside fundraising officer with Archie, added: “The response to the Oor Wullie sculptures has been phenomenal. This will be an unmissable opportunity for the public to see many of the Oor Wullie sculptures together up close – including a new incredible surprise guest to the Bash.
"We look forward to welcoming everyone to Gather in Overgate from the 14th to the 24th of July where visitors can learn about the artistic inspiration behind each customised piece, and hear about the work of Archie in helping children across Tayside.”
The Oor Wullie Bucket Trail ran across Dundee in 2016, and a later auction of the 70 statues displayed raised £883,000 for the Archie Foundation. It later inspired the Maggie's Penguin Parade, which raised £540,000 for the cancer support charity, and the Oor Wullie BIG Bucket Trail, which scattered more than 200 new Wullie sculptures across Scotland.
Around £1.3 million was raised in the BIG Bucket Trail auction, which was shared between the Archie Foundation, Edinburgh Sick Kids and the Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity.
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