A Highland mental health charity is appealing for the safe return of a beautiful metal bird sculpture that has disappeared from an exhibition at Eden Court Theatre in Inverness.

The artwork, created by renowned Scottish sculptor Helen Denerley in collaboration with Centred Scotland, was displayed as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival and was intended to raise money for free mental health services across the Highlands.

Worth an estimated £850, the sculpture had been attracting admiration from visitors before it went missing from the theatre’s upper floor.

Its planned sale following the exhibition would have helped fund the charity’s services, which depend on donations and fundraising rather than statutory funding.

Helen Denerley is widely recognised for her striking animal sculptures, including the large metal giraffes that have become familiar landmarks on Leith Walk in Edinburgh.

Her contribution to the exhibition was intended to celebrate the connection between creativity and mental wellbeing, while offering practical support to people experiencing difficulties in their lives.

For Centred, the loss is particularly disappointing because the sculpture represented an opportunity to raise essential funds through the generosity of an established Scottish artist.

The charity has reported the disappearance to Police Scotland and hopes CCTV footage from the area may help establish what happened.

However, rather than approaching the situation with anger, Centred is asking for the artwork to be returned with a message of understanding and compassion.

A spokesperson for Centred Scotland said:

“We don’t know the story behind why it was taken, and we want to approach the situation with kindness and understanding.

“We just ask whoever has the sculpture to consider returning it.

“There’s no judgement from us; we would just be grateful to have it back so it can still help make a difference to people’s lives, as intended.”

The charity explained that the sculpture had attracted considerable attention when the exhibition opened.

The spokesperson added:

“It was well admired piece at the exhibition opening, and we were hoping that through its sale, we would be able to raise some essential funds for our non-statutory funded services that rely solely on donations and fundraising.”

Centred provides mental health and wellbeing support throughout the Highlands, helping individuals and communities access services intended to improve their quality of life.

The missing sculpture was part of a wider celebration of artistic expression and its importance in supporting emotional wellbeing.

Its disappearance has therefore affected more than the exhibition itself, as the money it could have raised was intended to help sustain services available free of charge.

The charity remains hopeful that someone may have information about the artwork’s whereabouts or that whoever has it will consider bringing it back.

The spokesperson said:

“If you’ve seen it or know anything about where it might be, we’d really appreciate you getting in touch.

“We’d love to see it safely returned.”

Anyone who has information about the sculpture is encouraged to contact Centred Scotland at hello@centred.scot.

For the charity, the hope is simply that a piece of art created to help others can fulfil the purpose for which it was generously made.