Wheal Otters among guests at artists wedding
The Dartmoor Otters are now being auctioned to help fund conservation projects
Moor Otters Artist Alexis Cole and her husband Andrew DiBattista had the Wheal Otters at their wedding earlier this month.
Alexis designed the sculpture for Dartmoor National Park’s Moor Otters Arts Trail after being inspired by the trail in 2017.
81 sculptures spent the summer dotted across the National Park for people to find with the aim of raising £60,000 for Donate for Dartmoor.
Dartmoor is a special place for both Alexis and her husband Andrew: “We love the different areas, landscapes and features – from vast open grasslands, to streams, stone circles, dramatic tors, clear skies, thundery skies, winter and summer – we just love it, Dartmoor is so special to us, it’s where we got engaged."
“I was an avid otter spotter during the first Moor Otters Arts Trail in 2017 and loved seeing the designs and the different effects created on the same blank sculpture – that trail led me to explore parts of the moor I didn’t know about, and it inspired me to get involved with the second trail.”
The sculpture recognises the mining industry on Dartmoor and the inspiration comes from Wheal Betsy; the engine house which stands proud in the landscape near Tavistock.
Alexis explained: “The adult otter represents copper, and the cub represents tin, both metals mined on the moor. The cogs represent the inner machinery/pumps enabling the wheals to work. The parent and cub together represent the families that mining supported over generations.”
All otters are now being auctioned off to raise money for vital conservation projects on Dartmoor.
Alexis said she was delighted to see them at her wedding reception before they head off to their forever home: “When we drove up to Lewtrenchard Manor in our wedding car, the feeling when I saw Wheal Otters there, waiting for us in pride of place by the entrance – and knowing the efforts Dartmoor National Park and the Rugglestone Inn made to get them there for me - was very special. Guests loved that Wheal Otters were waiting for them at the reception complete with a fascinator on and ready to celebrate! We had our welcome drinks, canapés and photographs with the otter looking over us. It even featured in my dad’s speech!
“Our guests felt the sculpture was a very special addition to our day, loved having a ‘private view’ and several guests continued to otter spot during their weekend in Devon after the wedding."
You can find out more about how to bid for an otter and raise money for Dartmoor here.