A dolphin sculpture which fetched £8,500 at a charity auction has mysteriously appeared in a north-east fishing village.
The artwork was one of 52 created and sold on behalf of The ARCHIE Foundation and after being first put on display in Aberdeen.
They raised £531,000 for the official charity of the Royal Aberdeen Sick Children’s Hospital when they went under the hammer at the city’s Music Hall in September.
Now one of the dolphins, named Hope, has surfaced at Inverallochy, near Fraserburgh.
Locals in the village and neighbouring Cairnbulg are delighted with the colourful addition to their seafront – but are in the dark about who owns the sculpture and why they put it there.
Last night, Mike Chandler, the chairman of the Fraserburgh Tourism Group which co-ordinates tourism efforts within the AB43 postcode area, could help attract people to the villages.
He added: “It’s in a drying green at the side of the road. It’s not every day you see something like this.
“Locally, people are going to go and have a look at it, but what we’re interested in is people who have looked at it in Aberdeen and will come down and, if nothing else, go to the local shop and buy a paper and a packet of crisps.
“It’s opposite a house, so it’ll obviously be looked after and not ignored.”
Local community council member David Gammack said: “I wouldn’t think it would be a bad thing for the village at all. If it attracts anyone to the village then we would not be opposed to it.
“The kids here have all been to see it, it has become a village tourist attraction. It’s a welcome addition, anything that gets people here isn’t a bad thing.”
A spokeswoman for ARCHIE said that Hope had been painted to highlight the scenery and wildlife of Aberdeen. It was designed by a marine biologist.
“Hope the dolphin symbolises beautifully the positivity and power of nature and having hope when a child is sick,” she added.