Bring Bear It In Mindfulness Home To Bewdley!

Aim

WE DID IT! My Big Sleuth bear is heading home to Bewdley - for keeps! All money goes to Birmingham Childrens Hospital - many thanks all!

This year over one hundred bear sculptures were decorated by artists and let loose on the streets of Birmingham to raise money for Birmingham Childrens Hospital. The project was called The Big Sleuth (sleuth being the collective noun for a group of bears) and it has bought thousands of pounds worth of revenue into the city.

I was lucky enough to have my design chosen and create one of these in Bewdley - and it took over 400 hours to complete! My bear was then placed in a fantastic location outside Grand Central near the Bullring and it's had some fantastic media exposure. In a style that lends itself to mindfulness colouring-in, it reflects the Asian habitat of the sadly endangered Sun Bear (also known as the Honey Bear)to raise awareness of its plight, and it's designed to make people stop, ponder and smile...

Called 'Bear It In Mindfulness', it's going under the hammer along with all of his paw-fect pals on Thursday 12 October 2017 at Thinktank, Bimingham Science Museum from 5:45pm, to raise much-needed funds for the sick children and brave families at @BirminghamChildrensHospital. This is close to my heart as the hospital have been brilliant with my daughter Coco over the years (and me!) and we'd have been lost without them... The project is aiming to raise a fantastic £500,000 for the charity and to do that, I need your help!  

 Would you consider helping to buy the little critter (he's 5ft 5"!) and support this amazing initiative and the brilliant work the children’s hospital charity does? I would love to see Bear It In Mindfulness come home to Bewdley where he was 'born & raised' and be loved as much as he has been on the trail...

It's been suggested based on sales figures from Wild In Art's Big Hoot trail 2 years ago that sculptures go for an average of £6000, hence the target.

Any additional funds raised will be used to boost our auction fund - increasing our chances of successfully buying Bear It In Mindfulness to live out his days here in Bewdley to be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike.

If we're successful at the auction, all the money will go to Birmingham Children's Hospital, but if we're outbid and unsuccesful, this Crowdfund will be cancelled and no money taken. Fingers crossed for the former scenario please!

Rewards

I want to be able to thank everyone who backs this project and helps me achieve my ambition and have therefore structured the following ‘rewards’:

• Pledge £10 or more: Your name added to the roll call of backers on my Betti Moretti, Artist Facebook page and a Moretti card of your choice worth £3.50.
• Pledge £50 or more: As £10 plus one signed, limited edition Moretti print of your choice worth £20.
• Pledge £100 or more: As £50 plus two places at the VIP drinks reception at the unveiling of the bear, hosted at one of Bewdley's fine venues yet to be determined!
• Pledge £250 or more: As £100 plus your name (or your company/organisation) on the plinth beneath the bear, and four places at the VIP drinks reception at the unveiling of the bear, hosted at one of Bewdley's fine venues yet to be determined!

Making a payment

Payment, as prescribed by the Crowdfunder system is: debit/credit card and is very secure and reliable.

I would encourage you to back this project online as it helps me administer the project efficiently, but if you're uncomfortable for whatever reason please contact me (details below) and we can discuss!

What if we are unsuccessful at the auction?

If we fail to raise enough to buy 'Bear It In Mindfulness' at the auction then I will cancel the project and all monies pledged will be returned. So it will have cost you nothing, and I will stand any administrative fees due.

It’s for this reason, I've set the end date for the appeal to after the auction – it allows me to cancel the project without incurring an administrative headache.

What if we’re successful but there’s a surplus of money?

In the event of us winning the bid and purchasing the bear for a sum lower than the ‘budget’ secured,the following will happen:

The surplus will be used to pay the fees incurred running this Crowdfunder project, to include transportation, the plinth, names of sponsors, admin and VIP venue costs. The remainder will be donated to Birmingham Children’s Hospital. 

Just to be clear, if we are successful at the auction, no money will be returned to the project’s backers.

This is a great opportunity to see your name on something worthwhile, or perhaps advertise your business on the bear which will be seen by thousands, and a help bring some fabulous art to Bewdley. No doubt many people will visit to see it, take snaps with it and then put it on to social media - which in turn promotes our beautiful town, encourages more visitors and boosts local economy.

I'll even create a  Bewdley's Bear page on Facebook for visitors & friends to post their memories...

Many thanks for looking and fingers crossed we can bring this cheeky chappy back 'home'.

Best wishes, Betti Moretti, Artist

[email protected]

This project successfully funded on 16th October 2017