An unique collection of Oor Wullie statues will be on show at this weekend's fundraising event for CHAS
Well jings, crivens, help ma boab – Scotland’s most famous comic book character is rolling into Capital Sci-Fi Con at Edinburgh’s Corn Exchange this weekend.
With the Queensferry Crossing safely reopened, 2012 EuroMillions winner Gillian Bayford Deans is putting her army of Oor Wullies on the road for their first public outing in the capital for the benefit of Children’s Hospices Across Scotland – better known as CHAS.
From the original 2016 Bucket Trail, CHAS and Capital Sci-Fi Con are delighted to be hosting six of the iconic statues, including the Minecraft Wullie and Oor Bowie, which were initially purchased by Gillian in an auction for the ARCHIE foundation.
Over the three days of the event – which takes place from Friday 14 February to Sunday 16 February – attendees can pop into the mobile Wullie’s Wheels exhibition for a photo opportunity with each of these one-off statues.
Now in its fifth year, Edinburgh’s only not-for-profit family friendly pop culture, comic and movie convention is organised for fans by fans. 2019’s event attracted nearly 10,000 visitors, coming from as far afield as Brazil and Norway. It raised over £62,000 for CHAS, taking the overall total since 2016 to an out-of-this-world £250,276.
Guests appearing at the 2020 edition include Doctor Who legend Colin Baker, Harry Potter’s David Bradley and many more figures from the worlds of Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Jurassic Park and beyond. There will be cosplayers, talks, comic book artists, memorabilia stalls, interactive replica prop sets from The Avengers, Batman, Star Trek, Jaws, Gremlins E.T. and much more. A full list of guests and patrons of the event can be found here.
Gillian Bayford Deans said: “I’m delighted that we’re able to share these magnificent statues for the benefit of CHAS at Capital Sci-Fi Con this weekend. Particularly because of the origin of the Bucket Trail project, the Wullie collection was bought with the intention of taking them on tour and giving as many children and families as possible the opportunity to see them up close. It’s a lovely thing that, four years later, they’re still bringing cheer to people for the first time.”
All profits raised by the convention are donated to CHAS - the only charity in Scotland that provides hospice services for babies, children and young people with life-shortening conditions. The national charity offers palliative care and respite for the whole family via its two hospices, Rachel House in Kinross and Robin House in Balloch. It’s CHAS at Home service supports families in their own homes across the whole of Scotland and has teams working in communities and hospitals across the country.
