A collection of official Minerva’s Owls of Bath merchandise has gone on sale, offering fans of the popular sculpture trail the chance to secure a permanent memento of the event.
82 individually decorated, supersized owl sculptures are currently on show all around Bath and surrounding regions until the week of 10th September.
The official merchandise is available to purchase via a new online shop at www.minervasowls.org and from the Visitor Information Centre on Terrace Walk, Flamingo gift shop in Widcombe, Bath Aqua Glass in Abbey Churchyard and the Roman Baths.
Owls of Bath mugs are £9.50 and 20cm tall solid plaster mini-owls, hand-made in Bath for painting at home, are £49.
Owl posters are also now available, and tea-tOWLs, children’s colouring books, calendars and the official Owls of Bath book will follow next month.
The launch of owl merchandise comes after a successful opening month for the public art sculpture trail, which has seen over 4,000 Owls of Bath trail maps sold and over 3,000 app downloads.
People from as far afield as China, Canada and the US have downloaded the app, which asks owl fans to answer a question about each owl as they explore the trail.
More than 18,000 owl questions have been answered so far, with a fabulous Big Hoot prize on offer for the person who answers most questions correctly.
Minerva’s Owls event organiser Megan Witty commented: “It’s wonderful seeing so many Bath residents and visitors enjoying the owls and exploring Bath with their app and trail maps.
“We have had fantastic feedback from people from all over the world and amazing interaction on social media.
“People from across the UK say they are coming to Bath specifically to see the owls this summer, so we’re delighted the fabulous flock is bringing such colour and fun to the city.”
From Saturday 29th – Sunday 30th September, all 82 owl and owlet sculptures will be gathered together to form a giant ‘parliament’ for the final Hoot Farewell Weekend at the Bath Recreation Ground.
For the first and last time, fans will be able to see all the decorated owl sculptures in one location and take photos of any they may not have spotted over the summer.
The event will also include an exhibition of work from the owl artists, owl decorating workshops, food and drink stalls, fun activities such as Bath City FC’s ‘Beat the G’owlie’ and the chance to meet real owls from The Owlery.
The large owl sculptures will then be sold at the Minerva’s Owls Charity Auction on Wednesday 17th October which will be held at the Bath Assembly Rooms and online.
The auction has already attracted considerable attention, with owl fans from as far as the U.S registering their interest in bidding.
Owl bidding is expected to start in the region of £2,000, with some expected to raise considerably more.
All event profits will be donated to four local charities including the Royal United Hospital Cancer Centre, Bath Young Carers Centre, Roman Baths Archway Project and UK Little Owl Project.
