Kirkcaldy group’s fundraising bid to win giant cat sparks huge support
A Kirkcaldy group has raised over £5000 to boost its bid to win one of the town’s giant cats.
The Galle Cat has become a much loved figure as it sits outside Kirkcaldy Galleries.
And now hopes are high that a winning bid can be made at this weekend’s public auction to keep Griselda Hill’s bright yellow moggie in place.
The Friends of Kirkcaldy Galleries smashed its online fundraising target of £5000 in little more than two weeks, and is now homing in on a £7000 pot thanks to the generosity of hundreds of people who have made donations.
It hopes that will be enough to secure the Galle Cat when it goes under the hammer at the Adam Smith Theatre on Saturday - one of 21 lots open to bids.
The response to the online appeal has delighted the organisation, but it now has to bid along with everyone else at the auction.
Andrew Lowrie, who chairs the Friends group, said: “The response was fantastic. The team at Kirkcaldy Galleries promoted it superbly, and we now hope we have enough to make a winning bid.”
The Galle Cat is also the mascot of the group, making it even more special to keep it at the door to the much loved building. It will take its final bow as part of the giant cat gathering in the Town Square ahead of the auction.
“It’d be fantastic to get it,” said Andrew. “Everyone has been so excited to be part of this appeal - it was so worth doing.”
If the Friends’ bid isn’t successful, the money will still go to supporting the galleries.
The Galle Cat goes under the hammer on Saturday, along with the 16 other cats in an auction conducted by Bonhams which is expected to raise tens of thousands of £s, with all proceeds going back to the Kirkcaldy Lottery which backed the hugely successful trail - the single biggest public art event ever staged in the Lang Toun.
> There is still time to donate to the Friends of Kirkcaldy Galleries online fundraiser at crowdfunder.co.uk