Bear-mingham firms see necessity of supporting The Big Sleuth
Businesses from every sector across Birmingham have united in support of this summer’s big free art event – The Big Sleuth.
From travel and hospitality to education and professional services, the best of Birmingham has pledged its support for the highly-anticipated sequel to The Big Hoot, which attracted more than 800,000 visitors in 2015 and raised over £625,000 in total for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity.
Companies such as MHA MacIntyre Hudson, London Midland, Selfridges, Cadbury World, Birmingham BID Retail, Millennium Point, Birmingham Airport, the SEA LIFE Centre, the Mailbox and The Schools of King Edward VI have all signed up to The Big Sleuth – so named because the collective noun for a group of bears is a sleuth.
The campaign will see 100 individually designed, 5ft 4ins tall, bear sculptures installed in various locations throughout the city centre and the wider Birmingham area.
The brightly-coloured bears will be auctioned off at the event of the campaign to raise funds enabling the children’s hospital to continue its pioneering work.
Elinor Eustace, Deputy Director of Fundraising at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the response to our second exciting project. Many of the businesses which got involved last year have been quick to return as the benefits to them were clear and met their wide variety of objectives, whether that was brand awareness, footfall, sales or as a staff and customer engagement tool.
“The Big Sleuth will be another fantastic spectacle for Birmingham. A limited number of sponsorship packages are still available and we hope the city’s industries and businesses will recognise the cultural benefits of getting involved, as well as the positives for the local community.”
Sponsorship packages start from £6,000.
Organising the event in conjunction with the children’s hospital charity is creative producer Wild in Art. They are hoping the free public art trail will attract thousands of local, regional and national visitors to the city, as it did in 2015 for The Big Hoot.
Hettie the Heritage Bear from MHA MacIntyre Hudson
Birmingham accountancy firm MHA MacIntyre Hudson said it was extremely proud to be a sponsor for The Big Sleuth 2017.
Based in Church Street Square, MHA work with many of the region’s top firms.
Partner Chris Barlow said: “I’m so looking forward to welcoming our own Bear, Hettie the Heritage Bear. MHA MacIntyre Hudson’s roots are in the Midlands, and Hettie encapsulates that relationship perfectly.
“Hettie’s home will be directly outside of our building, and the whole office is excited about her being there. There are plans afoot for a selfie competition, as well as many other things happening over the summer, and she already has her own twitter account @BearHettie.”
He said it was hugely important for MHA to play a role in the local community and The Big Sleuth was a great way to have some fun over the summer, while at the same time raising much-needed funds for Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
The award-winning Big Hoot made a significant contribution to the economic, cultural and social life of Birmingham two years ago. Over 800,000 visitors engaged with the owls, spending approximately £8m as a result of their visit. Of this, 72% explored parts of Birmingham they hadn’t visited before, with 53% saying they planned to revisit the places where they discovered the owls.
Richard Brooks, Commercial Director at London Midland, said: “We’re very proud to be a part of The Big Sleuth and help support the incredible work taking place at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
“London Midland is committed to getting closer to the communities we serve and encouraging healthier lifestyles across our network. This campaign will get people of all ages and backgrounds out having fun as they explore the vibrant city of Birmingham. We believe The Big Sleuth will be a roaring success and generate much-needed funds for this fantastic cause.”
Solar Polar from Birmingham Airport
Birmingham Airport’s entry is called ‘Solar Polar’ and is painted by artist David Graham. The design represents the famous Northern Lights or ‘the aurora borealis’.
‘Solar Polar’ will be centrally located in Birmingham’s Victoria Square until September 17, during which time a selfie competition will be run by the airport to encourage the public to find the bear.
David Winstanley, Chief Operating Officer at Birmingham Airport, said: “It’s a fantastic privilege to be involved with another city art trail project. The Big Hoot in 2015 attracted many visitors not only to the city and region but also to the airport.”
Another embracing the event is celebrated Birmingham artist Temper, who has created a sculpture ‘with a twist’ for one of Retail BID Birmingham’s charity bears.
Temper also worked with the BID on The Big Hoot, where his Re-Tail owl produced the highest bid at auction, selling for an incredible £18,000.
“I’m blessed that Retail Birmingham asked me to create something so I’ve created a bear called Window Shopping to reflect the retail element,” said Temper.
“She’s a female bear out window shopping. She’s got a great personality and the studio name for her is Bearnadette.
“I take my art seriously but what I enjoy about the owls and bears, and other Wild in Art projects, is that they’re great fun.
“When you do something like this you get a sense of achievement and feel good about yourself knowing you’re helping families at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
“I was fortunate to have a tour of the hospital a couple of years ago and I knew then I will always try to help it.”
Steve Hewlett, Retail BID Manager, said: “Temper was a knock-out success for The Big Hoot trail and helped to raise thousands for charity while adding his own, unique style of art to the attraction. We’re sure his Big Sleuth bear will prove to be just as popular this summer.”
Brummie Bear with ‘Bobby’ Slobodan Topalovic
Meanwhile, fellow Birmingham artist Slobodan Topalovic, known as Bobby, has transformed his sun bear sculpture into Brummie Bear for the event.
Bobby has been commissioned by luxury department store Selfridges Birmingham to create an eye-catching design.
The artist, who is undertaking a PhD at Coventry University in Coach Design and Road Safety and has a Master’s degree in transport design, has a keen interest in visual identity, architecture and design research. It’s why his design features road and rail networks, as well as landmark buildings in the city.
He said: “I got together with Selfridges because the design I submitted initially included an overview of different architectural themes of Birmingham city centre, and this included the Selfridges ‘silver discs’ that cover the façade of the store. Selfridges saw the design and felt that this fitted in with its brand.
“I was absolutely thrilled to have been chosen, especially because my sun bear will be a tribute to Birmingham’s architecture, celebrating the most visually arresting and instantly identifiable parts of Birmingham’s visual identity.”
The artist’s brother, Milan, is also producing artwork for the Big Sleuth.
Another to get involved is Cadbury World, which has also taken delivery of one of the bears.
Two years ago, the Bournville site hosted Buttons the Cadbury World owl, as part of The Big Hoot project. It eventually sold for £9,000 at the charity auction.
Tom Crotty with the Amey Bear Care entry
Tom Crotty, an Assistant Structures Engineer for Amey, has also designed one of the bears.
After entering a competition to design a bear through his workplace, Tom was crowned the winner with his road-marking inspired design ‘Get Your Bearings’.
He said: “I spend so much time looking at roads and bridges, it’s hard to get them out of my head.”
His employer is one of the official supplier sponsors for The Big Sleuth. Its entry is an emergency ‘bear care’ service during the trail.
The company, who manage and maintain the city’s streets in partnership with Birmingham City Council, will be on 24-hour stand-by to attend to any bears that go wondering from their trail location, or who suffer damage.
