Birmingham Airport is flying into the summer with The Big Hoot 2015
Birmingham Airport is next in line to board The Big Hoot flight, having committed to sponsoring an owl for the massive art project set to land in Birmingham this summer.
Presented by public art specialists, Wild in Art, in partnership with Birmingham Children’s Hospital, The Big Hoot will see over 100 beautifully designed owl statues flying into the city for a 10 week period.
Funded by a host of corporate sponsors from across the region, including Birmingham Airport, the sculptures will be brought to life by local artists, helping to showcase the wide cultural appeal of the city.
Image courtesy of Daniel Graves photography
At the end of the 10 week trail the owls will be auctioned off with all proceeds going to Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
Paul Kehoe, Chief Executive at Birmingham Airport, said: “We’re privileged to be on board for The Big Hoot journey. It’s a really exciting time for Birmingham and this project is set to captivate the city, attracting thousands of new visitors to the streets.
“The Big Hoot will allow us to share with the world how brilliant Birmingham is. We don’t want visitors just to fly in and out of the city, we want to encourage them to explore Great Britain and all that is fantastic about the UK’s second city.”
The Big Hoot aims to inspire people to become a tourist in their own town. Owls will be placed not only in the city centre, but in a host of locations across all 10 districts of Birmingham, encouraging residents to follow the trail and discover areas of the wider region which they may not have explored before.
Additional sponsors from across the city are encouraged to come on board to help the project take off.
Elinor Eustace, Corporate Partnerships Manager at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, said: “It’s wonderful that Birmingham Airport is supporting The Big Hoot project this summer. Thanks to them and our other corporate partners we will ultimately be able to fund some important projects for the children and young people at our hospital and for that we’re immensely grateful.
“The Big Hoot is a fantastic opportunity for Birmingham, not only because it will bring in visitors from all over the UK but also because brummies will get to be tourists in their own city, giving them the opportunity to rediscover its heritage and cultural offering.”
Charlie Langhorne, Director of Wild in Art, said: “We are thrilled to have Birmingham Airport flying the flag for The Big Hoot. The event will be a fantastic spectacle for Birmingham. 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.”
The project is the latest high profile public art project from Wild in Art, which famously hosted a similar event in Bristol which featured various giant statues depicting Gromit of ‘Wallace and Gromit’ fame, attracting worldwide headlines.
The company has also created exhibitions in locations ranging from Norwich to Sydney, as well as Transport for London’s Year of the Bus Sculpture Trails, the Clyde Mascot trails for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Olympic mascot trail ahead of London 2012, each significantly increasing footfall to the host cities, helping to give local businesses a boost while generating increased profile.
To find out more about the sponsorship opportunities on offer, and for more information about the project, please visit www.thebighoot.co.uk.