Tobermory Otter Fund

Well, it’s been a year! I hope you’ve had a good one. I haven’t been blogging because for most of 2018 there has been very little to report and I have also cleaned up this website and removed some of the outdated blogs, keeping one or two for reference. However, I do now feel a little like a swan, calm above the water but paddling furiously underwater.

To summarise progress in 2018:

A new sculptor has been found and he is very enthusiastic about the project and new concept for the otter sculpture (watch this space). If things go absolutely to plan, I’m hoping to commission the work in Summer 2019.

A perfect sculpture site in Tobermory has been identified and I am doing my best to verify who owns it. The organisation that thinks they own the land aren’t sure! I’m currently in their hands but hope to have made progress by early Spring.

The Fund is growing nicely and above the rate of inflation. It now stands in excess of £16,750. I’m progressing a matched funding application and hope to have an indication before Xmas whether it is worth pursuing.

I’m reasonably confident that I have a workable PR plan ready to go once I have confirmed the site availability, funding and commission timing. We’ve a great story to tell and I think the public will be interested.

I met with a long-term celebrity TOF supporter recently in Tobermory and he has offered to use his best endeavours to promote the project as and when required. Publicly anonymous for the moment but I’m very grateful for his generous support.

In spite of his significant age, the great conservationist Dr Sidney Holt also continues to support TOF from his home in Italy, encouragement that means a lot to me as Sidney is one of my conservation heroes. I was fortunate enough to catch up with him for a few days last April.

THA continue to be very supportive and helpful but have many of their own projects in the pipeline to which they must direct the bulk of their energies.

So that’s it for now. I will update both this website and Facebook page as and when significant developments occur. For general Mull otter news, please check out Mull Otter Group’s social media. I can be contacted anytime via the contacts detailed on this website.

I hope your festivities will be as quiet or rip-roaring as you wish them to be. I suspect mine will be up a mountain somewhere with a camera.

Take care, Nic