Giant Owls To Boost Bath Local Economy This Summer

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1 Giant Owls To Boost Bath Local Economy This Summer Public art sculpture trail aims to boost footfall, local business and charitable donations 100 large individually-decorated owl sculptures are to land in and around the streets of Bath this summer for a colourful three-month public art event to celebrate the city s Roman heritage, increase footfall to the city and raise funds for local charities. Minerva's Owls of Bath 2018 is the latest in several high-profile sculpture trails in the South West, which have driven strong economic impact in the last decade; King Bladud s Pigs captivated Bath residents and visitors in 2008 attracting hundreds of thousands of people to the city. 16,000 fans visited the auction preview weekend and the event raised 200,000 for the Two Tunnels Greenway. Two years later, the Lions of Bath generated similarly impressive footfall figures and charitable donations.

2 Meanwhile, Bristol s Gromit Unleashed trail saw 1.18m visitors over the 10-week display period, of which 900,000 visited specifically to see the Gromit sculptures. Footfall to Bristol s museums doubled and the total direct impact of the Gromit Unleashed trail was more than 77 million*. The Minerva Owls project aims to provide a raft of benefits for Bath including boosts to tourism and overnight stays, as well as increased footfall around quieter parts of the city. It also aims to provide free, interactive activities for residents, bring colour and fun to the city and generate a feeling of local pride in the city. The project is now calling for businesses or organisations to sponsor the large 1.1m tall owls, which will be decorated by experienced artists to a design of their choosing. The parliament of owls will take up their perches across Bath and the surrounding region in late June until early September. Sponsors will enjoy nine months of publicity and awareness plus excellent staff and customer engagement throughout the campaign, from the launch in February through to the charity auction in October. Owl sponsorship can be shared between several business or groups of traders. Allison Herbert, General Manager at Bath BID explained the organisation s involvement:

3 The BID is keen to support and promote initiatives which encourage footfall for our levy payers, particularly where there is an opportunity to create interest across all areas of the city centre. We are proud to be gold sponsors of the Minerva Owls and have had an enthusiastic early response from our businesses who are keen to get involved. The Minerva Owls Project is a great opportunity to bring a creative celebration of Bath and its Roman history onto the city s streets where the sculptures can be enjoyed by businesses, visitors and residents of all ages. The project takes its inspiration from the Roman Goddess Minerva, to whom the Roman Baths Temple was dedicated in the 1st century AD, and whose animal symbol was the Owl of wisdom. The event also marks the 10th anniversary of the King Bladud s Pigs project, which took place in Bath in Businesses, community groups, individuals and schools interested in sponsoring an Owl or Owlet are asked to get in touch as soon as possible as sculpture numbers are limited. Early bird sponsorship rates are available until 5th March. Talented regional artists are invited to submit owl design ideas by 1st March for the chance to be selected as one of the official Owl artists. For more information or to download an Owl Sponsor, School or Artist pack visit or contact the owl on Twitter. ENDS

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6 For further press information, please contact: Nick Vellacott Highlight PR / highlightpr Alison Vellacott Highlight PR alison@highlightpr.co.uk / highlightpr *figures from Wild in Art Ltd. Owls of Bath 2018newsroom