Buckets of joy at Caithness General
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CAITHNESS General Hospital has had a visit from a famous Scottish comic-book character.
Oor Wullie dropped in with his bucket to add cheer at a time of the year when the nights are drawing in and winter is fast approaching.
Two nurses from the emergency department, Evelyn Tait and Donna Simpson, posed with the much-loved character who was painted up by Douglas Roulston as part of Oor Wullie's Big Bucket Trail – an art project in which 200 life-sized Oor Wullie sculptures were painted by various artists in an array of designs. The sculptures were then sent throughout the country so people could discover the world of Oor Wullie and fundraise for children’s hospital charities.
Since appearing in the Sunday Post more than 80 years ago, Oor Wullie has become a cultural icon in Scotland. The wee laddie from the fictional town of Auchenshoogle, sitting on his upturned bucket and wearing black dungarees, is as familiar to Scots as Edinburgh Castle.
Wullie wages a constant war against boredom and he includes attending school in his list of boring things to do. He is a great righter of wrongs and will bravely tackle bullies to protect his pals Fat Bob, Soapy Soutar and Wee Eck. His occasional girlfriend Primrose Patterson is the only one allowed to call him William.
Nurse Donna Simpson said she had just come in for her late shift and together with colleague Evelyn Tait thought it was a "brilliant surprise" to see the multicoloured wee man sitting there having a good belly laugh.
Donna said: "We feel Oor Wullie is bright and beautiful and laughter is the best medicine to cheer up patients and relatives."
The sculpture is called Oor Nevis and has a very vibrant landscape painted on it by Douglas Roulston.
Apart from adding a splash of colour to the entrance area of the Wick hospital, the sculpture is acting as an ambassador for ethical consultancy business Higher Ground Health Care. Norman Sutherland, director of the business, said: "It was just amazing to see the smiles on people's faces when we put it up. We're sending Wullie out to different facilities and apart from raising a smile he's there to highlight the fantastic work being done by our health and care staff."
