THE TEAM (HOO’S HOO)

Megan Witty
Event Organiser
Megan has a background in wildlife film making for ITV and the BBC Natural History Unit and organised the King Bladud’s Pigs Auction Preview weekend and charity auction in 2008. As overall event organiser of the Lions of Bath 2010 and Swans of Wells 2012 projects, she was responsible for commissioning the designs, finding artists and sponsors, creating the summer-long public art events and organising the popular auction preview festivals and charity auction events. She has also organised the annual ‘24 Hours in Bristol’ photographic competition and exhibition for the last five years.
Gitte Dawson
Event Co-organiser
Gitte Dawson was a councillor on Bath & North East Somerset Council from 1999 and 2007 and started the Bath Christmas market, which is now in its 20th successful year. Gitte was also the initiator of one of the first city-wide sculpture trails in the UK, ‘King Bladud’s Pigs in Bath’ in 2008. Gitte had a hand in creating the Two Tunnels Greenway cycle trail, which brought two railway tunnels back into use, and was the driving force behind the Galleries Shop, a community-run shop and café in the village of Freshford where she lives.
ALICE ELLIS
Administrator
Alice is an experienced organiser and problem solver – qualities much needed for a large scale, city-wide public art project! Alice was previously a sponsor of a Lions of Bath 2010 and King Bladuds Pigs 2008 sculpture as Chair of the BBWA (Bath Business Women's Association) and thinks that Minerva's Owls will be even more popular. Alice will be coordinating owl artists, sponsors and schools, juggling spreadsheets and organising events and is looking forward to seeing the owls take off this summer.
Ian Wells
Logistics Manager
Ian worked on the popular Lions of Bath 2010 and Swans of Wells 2012 sculpture trails as chief ‘lion and swan wrangler’ and will be transferring his skills to Owls this year. Ian is in charge of the sculptures, from their arrival in Bath to artist decoration, plinths, installation, maintenance, display and transportation. Ian and the ‘Owls in Transit’ van will become a familiar sight as owls are installed on the streets and high spots around Bath and the surrounding region this summer.
Philip Jansseune
Design
Philip is Creative Director of Walker/Jansseune, the Bath-based copyrighting and design agency that produced the brand, website, publications and printed souvenirs for the Lions of Bath 2010 and Swans of Wells 2012 projects. In 2017, Philip was commissioned to produce a herd of decorated wooden rhinos by the Botswana Tourist Board for an international travel show in Berlin and he has now turned his skills to creating the logo, marketing publications and merchandising design for Minerva’s Owls 2018.
Chris Dawson
Owl website
Chris is Creative Director of tallhatDesign, a Bath digital design studio with more than 25 years industry experience. With marketing and digital agency background, Chris specialises in web design services and content, branding, marketing and consultancy. Chris has worked with clients such as Orange, the BBC, HSBC and Guinness as well as many start-ups and SMEs, and recently had a bizarre request to create a website for owls!
Alan Dun
Owl Sculptor
Alan studied Fine Art at Chelsea School of Art, graduating with a BA (Hons) Fine Art. A former robotics specialist, Alan is now a versatile figurative and abstract sculptor based in Limpley Stoke near Bath. He has created sculptures for a number of public art sculpture trails including the King Bladud’s Pigs of Bath 2008, Lions of Bath 2010, Cirencester March Hares 2013 & 2014 and Go Herdwick Sheep for the Lake District in 2016. Alan also curated the production of sporting sculptures to celebrate the 2012 London Olympics, created a 25ft silverback gorilla for Wookey Hole and produced a giant Lion sculpture for the Queen’s Jubilee Trust. www.alandun.co.uk
Highlight PR
Publicity
Highlight PR is an award-winning PR, content and social media agency in the heart of Bath, run by Nick and Alison Vellacott. The agency works with an eclectic mix of kids and family brands, food and drink companies and creative organisations, including design and event agencies and landscape architects. Clients include Miffy, Sylvanian Families, Clipper Teas and Bath’s Forest of Imagination. Highlight has won the PRCA’s Small Consultancy of the Year for the South West and Wales for the last two years running.
Michael Youngman
Owl Trail App
Michael is CEO of Blispa, the Bath-based app development company, creating apps triggered by location. Clients include WOMAD festival, Bath Fringe and now a Parliament of Owls! Michael will be creating the Minerva’s Owls Trail, which will be downloaded free of charge the Bath Directory app. The App will enable Owl fans of all ages to explore the city and your task is to wake up all the sleeping Owls! The interactive beacon inside each Owl will send information about it, including its photo and sponsor and artist directly to your phone. Solve the trail and you may win prizes...
Little Owls were introduced into Britain from Europe during the late 1880s to control garden pests.
There are thought to be 5,700 pairs in the UK.
The Little Owl is one of the smallest owls. It was introduced to Britain from Europe in the 1880s to help control garden pests and can be found living in tree hollows around the Bath area.
“It was with sheer delight that I rounded a corner on my first ever visit to … where they were filming Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and saw a line of big, grey, fluffy, bewildered-looking owls blinking back at me.” JK Rowling
My pet owl will soon turn 180.
He’s not old, he just has a bad neck. (Hoot!)
Little Owls love sunbathing! You can spot them basking in sunshine on their favourite perches during the winter months in parks and rural villages. On a sunny day, look out for Little Owls on barn roofs, poles and fence posts.
The Little Owl has a large global range and is found in 84 countries (much of Europe, Asia east to Korea, North Africa, and the Middle East).
Little Owls have decreased by 70% over the last 20 years. The UK Little Owl Project is working to protect them and is based in Bath.
There are around 200 species of owl.
The largest is Blakiston’s fish owl (Japan, China, Siberia)
In 2008, a herd of 100 King Bladud’s Pigs descended on Bath to take part in one of the UK’s first public art sculpture trails.
A Little Owl with an olive branch appeared on a Greek silver tetradrachm coin from 500 BC and a 5th Century BC bronze statue of the Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena, shows her holding a Little Owl.
You can find Little Owls in a range of habitats including quarries, villages, orchards, parkland, liveries and on lowland farmland. They prefer semi-open habitat and avoid woodland. Read Emily’s Little Owl Spotter’s Guide here.
In 2008 the King Bladud’s Pigs auction raised over £200,000 for charity and 16,000 pig fans came to say their ‘final farewells’.
Headline sponsor – SouthGate Bath