Popular Oor Wullie sculptures reunited for children's charity as part of Dundee exhibition

Six years since Scotland’s oldest little boy swamped the streets, he is back with a bang.

Twelve of the popular Oor Wullie sculptures, that formed part of two bucket trails, have been joined by a new mischief maker, which is on public display for the first time in Dundee’s Overgate shopping centre until Sunday, July 24.

A selection of the rascals have been reunited as part of efforts to raise money for the children’s charity The Archie Foundation.

The summer events proved a big hit with decorated statues of the comic character dotted round Dundee, with some also travelling to take up spots on the streets of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness.

Artist Suzanne Scott, who works under the name Whimsical Lush said: “Some of them were quite far spread in the second trail so like my boy with his technicolour dream dungarees he was up in Inverness.

“People in Dundee didn’t get the chance to see him so it’s really nice that some of the far away ones are in Dundee.”

The cheeky chaps on display in the Gather unit on the second floor of the shopping centre are once again generating excitement with children eager to have pictures taken with them.

Bucket trails in 2016 and 2019 raised more than £2m for the charity which went towards a new twin theatre at Tayside Children’s Hospital.

Chris Duke, Tayside regional fundraising officer for The Archie Foundation said: “There’s one thing raising that amount of money but another to see it actually in place and now that the twin theatre is actually open at Ninewells so when you go down there you forget you’re in hospital.

“You feel like you’re in this brand new beautiful facility that these guys (Oor Wullie sculptures) helped pay for.”

The twelve original sculptures are joined by a new kid on the block ready to make mischief and more money.

It was signed by music stars Calvin Harris, the Bay City Rollers and Gerry Cinamon, at the last T in the Park music festival in 2016.

It is now on display to the public for the first time and will be auctioned off to pay for further, as yet undisclosed improvements at the Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.

Chris Duke explained, “There’s not much I can say about it other than the fact we have the twin theatre suite in Ninewells and the journey through Ninewells will be very similar to that.”

Over the next ten days, visitors to the free exhibition will also have a chance to try art workshops.

“We’ve got comic talks, how to get into writing comics, all the support that’s available and everything to do with comics and why it’s such an important thing to Dundee,” explained Metta Ramsay, community manager at Overgate.