Jings, Oor Wullie is coming to GCU

Glasgow Caledonian University will take part in what is believed to be Scotland's biggest ever art trail this summer.

Oor Wullie's BIG Bucket Trail will be taking to the streets of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness to raise awareness of Scotland's national children's hospital charities.

As part of the trail, GCU will host one of over 150 life-size Oor Wullie sculptures on our Glasgow campus during the summer. A fully-painted statue will arrive on campus on June 17, before being auctioned in September for the Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity.

Oor Wullie is, of course, the comic-strip character first made famous in the pages of the Sunday Post in the 1930s and who still endures today.

It is hoped that while on campus, the statue will encourage a number of new visitors to experience not only our facilities, but also the wider GCU community.

Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Pamela Gillies CBE said: "We are delighted to host Oor Wullie, a Scottish 'icon', at our Glasgow campus and wholeheartedly embrace the opportunity this wee statue provides for us to raise funds to support such an important charity for children in our city."

Students’ Association President Rachel Simpson said: “ I’m excited to be part of an institution which has such strong values and is working to support our local communities and raise funds for a local children’s hospital. It’s also an amazing opportunity for our students to get a taster of some of the culture from Glasgow and Scotland through having an Oor Wullie of our very own on campus.” 

Launched nationally by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in October last year, the project has already gained the backing of several national brands including Arnold Clark, Citylink, and Scottish Power.

An app will be made available that will show the location of all Oor Wullie statues across Scotland.