Insight

Serenity, the owl statue sponsored by Dignity as part of The Big Hoot. Photograph courtesy of Kris Askey.

Dignity is a Big Hoot in Sutton Coldfield

This summer, Dignity sponsored an owl for The Big Hoot, a massive art project that took place across Birmingham for ten weeks.

Presented by public art specialists, Wild in Art, in partnership with Birmingham Children’s Hospital, The Big Hoot saw 89 beautifully decorated owl statues appear across the city. The owls were joined by smaller owlet sculptures designed by local students and teachers.

The initiative aimed to inspire people to become a tourist in their own town and explore areas of the wider region that they may not have visited before. At the end of the summer, the large owls were auctioned and raised £530,000 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital. The entire initiative raised sufficient funds for the hospital to develop a new ward.

Dignity's owl, Serenity, was designed by Neil Morris, an artist based in Southport, and was positioned close to Holy Trinity Church gardens in Sutton Coldfield. The black and white design is quiet and contemplative, representing Dignity's own ideals and principles.

Every owl was installed on a concrete base featuring a plaque and a QR code giving details of the artist and sponsor via a mobile phone app. Serenity proved to be a popular attraction with both visitors to Sutton Coldfield and Dignity staff at Head Office, with over 1,800 QR code interactions.