Elected Member Briefing - YMCA Tayside's Bear's Big Adventure Trail, Launch Event 8 September 2025

About this Briefing Note

Report by: Steve MacDonald, Economic Development Manager - Business, Place & Investment 

EMBN Number: 108-25

Date: 19 August 2025

Subject: YMCA Tayside's Bear's Big Adventure Trail - Launch Event, 8 September 2025

Details

Purpose

The purpose of this Briefing Note is to provide background information on YMCA Tayside's Launch Event of Bear's Big Adventure Trail, which will take place on Monday 8 September 2025 at the Y Centre, Atholl Street, Perth.  [Note - this briefing was exempt from publication until after the launch event.]

Briefing Information

Background 

• YMCA Tayside is a registered Scottish charity which aims to improve the lives of young people aged 8-25 years old who are facing challenging times.  The support which YMCA Tayside offers comes in many forms, including employability skills, SQA qualifications, drop-ins, outdoor adventure, mentoring, and much more. 

• Bear's Big Adventure Trail will see 30 individually designed bear sculptures strategically positioned throughout Perth and Kinross over a 10-week period during summer 2026.  At the end of the summer the bears will each be auctioned off. 

• The purpose of Bear's Big Adventure Trail is to raise funds for YMCA Tayside.  This is similar to the Hairy Highland Coo Trail which took place in Perth and Kinross in 2024, which supported Children's Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS).

• The bears will each be uniquely designed and painted by artists who will selected through a competitive process.  Artists will propose their designs, and these will be considered by a panel, with the top 30 designs being chosen to adorn the sculptures. 

• YMCA Tayside will be holding their Launch Event of Bear's Big Adventure Trail on Monday 8 September 2025 at the Y Centre, Atholl Street, Perth.  Local businesses will be invited to this event with an ask of them to sponsor one of the bears.  Sponsorship of a bear is £7,000.   

• Perth and Kinross Council is the headline sponsor of Bear's Big Adventure Trail (£20,000). 

• Bear's Big Adventure Trail is also being supported by Perth and Kinross Council's Business, Place & Investment team, working with the YMCA colleagues to engage with our top 100 businesses regarding these sponsorship opportunities. 

Benefits 

• Bear's Big Adventure Trail will align with the key priorities embedded in Perth & Kinross Council's Corporate Plan 2022 - 2028, where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality.   

• Bear's Big Adventure Trail will contribute to the cultural and economic growth of Perth and Kinross.   By strategically positioning the bears in locations throughout Perth city centre and in our towns, we have an exciting opportunity to work with YMCA Tayside to develop an attractive and entertaining way of encouraging residents, families and visitors to engage with art, culture and creativity by following the Trail, finding the bears, and exploring locations throughout Perth and Kinross. 

• To maximise the impact of the initiative, there is an opportunity to work with local businesses to develop incentives which will encourage those following the Trail to increase their dwell time and their spend before moving on to the location of the next bear. 

• Bear's Big Adventure Trail will be an attractive addition to our tourism offer and will align with Perth and Kinross Tourism Strategy and Action Plan 2025-30, particularly around our aim to increase day visitors, length of stay, visitor spend, and the development of new visitor experiences.   

• Bear's Big Adventure Trail fits within Perth & Kinross Council's place plans and aligns with both The Perth City Centre Development & Design Framework and Perth 2040: Our Agenda for Change by contributing to a vibrant, liveable city centre with a rich mix of uses and places which allow people to meet and enjoy the outdoors and enhancements to the public realm.  

• Bear's Big Adventure Trail aligns with our Culture Strategy 2023-2028 where we aim to ensure that culture and heritage are integral to placemaking.  There is also an opportunity to engage with local artists who may be interested in submitting a design proposal for one of the bears. 

• Through Perth UNESCO City of Craft and Folk Art, there are opportunities to engage with local craft makers and creative communities by developing additional craft-specific programmes.  Incorporating a craft-related programme engages local makers and integrates the unique UNESCO City of Craft and Folk Art designation into the Bear's Big Adventure initiative, providing an additional audience and engagement opportunity.