The Tall Ships Short Story 12 sculpture trail unveiled as part of Clan Cancer Support’s The BookBench Trail.
Organisers of The Tall Ships Races Aberdeen 2025 have partnered with Clan Cancer Support to bring a nautically themed art trail to Europe’s largest free family event.
The Tall Ships Short Story will run alongside Clan’s public art trail planned for next summer, The BookBench Trail, which will feature BookBench sculptures across the north-east, Moray, Orkney and Shetland.
The Tall Ships Short Story Trail will showcase twelve specially designed BookBench sculptures in key city centre and coastal locations around Aberdeen, with the project funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Event partners hope the sculptures, which can comfortably seat two adults, will provide a unique cultural experience for people of all ages to enjoy during the festival which is expected to attract 400,000 visits and 50 Tall Ships from 19 to 22 July 2025.
The Tall Ships Races has been brought to the city for the first time in almost 30 years thanks to concerted effort between Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeen Inspired and Port of Aberdeen.
Councillor Martin Greig, Aberdeen City Council’s culture spokesman, said: “Clan’s sculpture trail will be a very welcome addition to the many events we have in store for the Tall Ships 2025 event when it reaches Aberdeen. Not only will the sculptures be an attraction in their own right but their auction will raise funding for a very deserving cause which all the Tall Ships partners are delighted to support.”
Kate Timperley, Aberdeen Inspired’s project manager, said: “The Clan partnership is a fantastic addition to the event programme and the funds and awareness raised will benefit so many. We are sure the hundreds of thousands of visitors coming for the Tall Ships Races will enjoy discovering all the city centre of Aberdeen has to offer as they explore this special sculpture trail.”
Roddy James, chief commercial officer at Port of Aberdeen, said: “Clan’s sculpture trails have brightened up the city’s streets for many years and raised significant funds for its essential services. Aberdeen’s rich maritime heritage will provide inspiration for the artists and the Clan partnership supports our efforts to leave a lasting legacy from The Tall Ships festival.”
The sculptures will remain in their locations for the duration of The BookBench Trail which is due to run from early July until September next year.
Following the completion of The BookBench Trail, one of the specially designed sculptures from The Tall Ships Short Story will be auctioned off in aid of Clan Cancer Support. The remaining sculptures will return with new stories for the Festival of the Sea in 2026.
Clan chose the BookBench sculpture, which depicts an open book, because of its lifeline listening support service which enables anyone impacted by a cancer diagnosis to open up and tell their story.
Fiona Fernie, CEO of Clan Cancer Support, added: “We are delighted to agree this partnership with The Tall Ships team and to have such an iconic international event featured within The BookBench Trail.
“We’ll be asking artists to submit nautically themed designs for this special project and with our region’s strong connection to the sea, we’re sure these BookBenches will be much cherished sculptures in our trail next summer.”
Artists are due to be invited to submit their designs for The BookBench Trail and The Tall Ships Short Story this Autumn with shortlisting taking place in the new year.
More information about The BookBench Trail can be found here.
