ROBINS TAKE OVER BOAT of GARTEN
December 1, 2005
Hundreds of robins have descended on Boat of Garten for Christmas. The robins are part of the Boat of Garten Winter Festival funded by Highland 2004. They have been made by residents, both young and old, out of off cuts of wood at a dedicated workshop.
Local company BSW Timber has provided material for the project and commissioned renowned sculptor Dr. George Wyllie MBE to make two giant King and Queen robins.
All the birds are now on show throughout the village. The exciting visual arts project has allowed everyone who lives and works in BoG the opportunity to be involved. The robins come in various sizes from little babies to king size, the king size robins stand at almost 30" and are placed in fields at the entrance of the village to welcome visitors. There are over 100 robins to be spotted in resident?s gardens and from mid December children can log onto ww.boatofgarten.com to guess how many robins are in the village, they can also suggest names for the King and Queen birds.
Dave Mills, Mill Manager at the Boat of Garten Mill says, "This is a really innovative arts project, our sawmill is the largest industry in the village and we are very keen to commit to the development of the village and its residents. By being fully involved in this project we hope to contribute to the heritage of the village both culturally and historically.
Dr George Wyllie MBE added, "Boat of Garten has always been home to the Osprey but this Christmas visitors to the village can look out for our flock of robins. This was a good project and it's great to see the birds all over the village."