Boldmere Futures Partnership and the Boldmere Traders Association have got a huge summer planned for Boldmere, with two bears and four cubs !
As previously announced, Boldmere will be getting its very own Boldmere Bear as part of The Big Sleuth 2017, which officially launches on Monday 10th July . The money for Boldmere Bear was raised from several sources including businesses, both small and large, via corporate sponsorships; from local charitable groups via donations; and from the residents of Boldmere via on street fundraising and an online Crowdfunding exercise. The design, “Boldmere Bear (Sunny Days & Starry Nights)”, by Donna Newman, depicts day and night in Boldmere including our green parks, local bars & restaurants, street festivals, community groups and family culture.
Joining Boldmere Bear will be Mother Bear, sponsored by Seesaws Day Nursery, which will be living in Sutton Park by Boldmere Gate. Mother Bear is made up of a number of puzzles, keeping all her fans busy hunting for clues!
The two big bears are being joined by four baby cubs from our local schools! Boldmere Junior School, Boldmere Infant School, Court Farm Primary School and New Oscott Primary School have all bought and decorated a cub which will form part of The Big Sleuth Trail. Three of these cubs will be displayed in shop fronts on Boldmere Road and one will be at Halls Garden Centre from Friday 23rd June.
Chair of Boldmere Futures Partnership, John Lymn, said: “We can’t wait to welcome people from near and far to Boldmere this summer. We’re very proud to be playing a part in the Big Sleuth by purchasing our own community bear as well as hosting another bear and four school cubs. The Boldmere Music Festival will be a great way to kick off summer in Boldmere and make it truly UN-BEAR-LIEVABLE!”
Cllr Paul Long who championed bringing a bear to Boldmere from the beginning said: "This is going to be a lot of fun for local families and those from farther afield. We expect to welcome literally thousands of extra visitors to Boldmere over the summer as part of The Big Sleuth and we hope they enjoy what they find in our vibrant community and will want to come back."
The Big Sleuth, so named because sleuth is the collective noun for a group of bears, is the second public art event from Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity and creative producers Wild in Art.
The project will see up to 100 bear sculptures placed across Birmingham for 10 weeks from 10th July, with 10 of the bears being funded by local communities. It follows the flying success of The Big Hoot in 2015 which attracted an estimated 800,000 visitors across Birmingham, with 26% of visitors coming from outside of the West Midlands, and raised over £625,000 in total for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity.
Keep up to date with all things Boldmere by following ‘Boldmere Futures Partnership’ and ‘Boldmere Bear’ on Facebook and Twitter.
