Marketing Derby ram back on the road thanks to Project D

Marketing Derby’s Ram Trail ram has gone back on the road after doughnut firm Project D successfully bought it at auction.

The ram, called Captain Stone, was one of 30 five-foot tall rams, which made up this summer’s Derby Ram Trail.

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All the rams were sponsored by local businesses and organisations.

Recently, the Marketing Derby ram, along with all the others, were sold at an auction held at the Museum of Making to raise cash for Derby Museums.

Project D successfully bid for Captain Stone, which the firm has now pledged to share with the public.

The company, which has its bakery in Derby called the Dream Factory, is taking Captain Stone on the road, displaying him at various events and pop-up stores.

At the weekend, he made his debut at Melbourne Arts Festival.

Project D strategy director Jacob Watts said: “We were huge fans of the Ram Trail because it was a lovely celebration of the city and helped to put Derby on the map.

“Once we saw Captain Stone, we knew we had to have him because he is the exact pink of Project D’s branding.

“At first, we were going to put him in our bakery, but we’re keen to take him out on the road with us. So, he’ll be making guest appearances at some of our pop-ups.”

Captain Stone was designed by Liam Sharp who is a Derby-born comic strip writer and artist now living in California, where he works for DC Comics and Warner Brothers. The ram is named after one of Liam’s comic book heroes.

Jacob said: “We have spoken to Liam, and he is really happy that we are going to keep making Captain Stone available to members of the public, because art should be seen not hidden away.

“We were quite lucky to have been able to buy the ram we had our eye on because I know a few people left empty-handed when the price went through the roof.”

Katie Wells-Hursey, business development executive for Marketing Derby said: “I remember how excited the team was when we found out that Marketing Derby had been successful in securing Captain Stone as our ram for the trail, and so to see it continue its journey around Derbyshire in the safe hands of one of our Bondholders is just fantastic.”