You may have noticed a brightly coloured new resident perched next to the Town Bridge in Bradford on Avon! Frida Owlo is part of the Minerva Owls Sculpture Trail, which is centered around Bath, but a few lucky owls have ventured further afield!
The idea to bring an owl to Bradford on Avon came from James Sullivan-Tailyour, owner of The Swan Hotel and member of BOA Business. James presented the plan to the Town Council, the Area Board and local businesses, and it was agreed that the owl could be sponsored; not only to be enjoyed by residents of the town, but also to encourage people to make the short journey from Bath for a visit, hopefully benefitting local businesses in the process.
James Sullivan-Tailyour and Mayor Alex Kay just after unveiling Frida Owlo on Tuesday. Photo ©Lydia Booth Photography
Our owl, as the name suggests, is inspired by Mexican artist, feminist and activist Frida Kahlo, and was deemed perfect due to the Town’s Women’s 100 celebrations, which are raising awareness about women, albeit only some, being given the vote 100 years ago. The artist commissioned to paint our owl is ‘Bunny’ who can be found on Instagram HERE. After the unveiling of Frida Owlo by James and our Mayor Cllr Alex Kay, Bunny commented:
“Thanks @boatowncouncil for the most delightful warm welcome for #fridaowlo and myself this morning ! Glorious sunshine, shining on the most gorgeous bridge in the lovely town of Bradford on Avon..a place where real community spirit is alive and truly thriving !”
The owls will be on display until 10th September 2018 and donations raised by the project will benefit local charities but primarily the new Royal United Hospital Cancer Centre. More information about this can be found HERE
If you are interested in visiting and ‘collecting’ sightings of the owls yourself, you can download the App HERE
