Would you heifer believe it - Cycling Moo Kay's grazing on Box Hill!

Guildford cyclist Doug has acquired a steak – sorry, stake – in a massive public art event called the Surrey Hills CowParade.

He bought a life-sized, fibre-glass cow in Cycling UK’s name which has now been painted to show cycling scenes by artist, friend and fellow mountain biker Charles Rowbotham.

Named Cycling Moo Kay – what else? – the cow now stands at the top of Box Hill, where it will remain in public view for over two months before being auctioned off to raise funds for Cycling UK and the Surrey Hills Trust Fund, a charity established to conserve and protect the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

During its graze on top of the North Downs, the Cycling UK cow will provide a perfect backdrop for cyclists slogging their way up the iconic Box Hill climb during the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 on Sunday 31 July.

Cycling UK member Doug, chairman of G-Bug, the Guildford Cycling Campaign, said: “It’s a pretty cool cow and a genuine work of art. I was originally thinking about calling her Bicycow, but Cycling Moo Kay seems more appropriate.

“Charlie has painted the cow to show road cyclists coming up Box Hill on one side, and mountain bikers riding a trail through Denbies Wine Estate with the hill in the background on the other. Charlie is an artist friend I regularly cycle with, and the son of a mountain biking artist too.

“Cycling UK, formerly known as CTC, is the oldest transport organisation in the world and has been promoting cycling and protecting cyclists since 1878. As an avid cyclist myself, it seemed a natural choice to support the great work they do as the UK’s national cycling charity – especially as their National Head Office is in Guildford.

“I want Cycling Moo Kay to promote cycling in a positive way. My vision is to see more people cycling, more safely, and to encourage tolerance and respect between all road and bridleway users.”
Artist Charles, also a Cycling UK member, has a studio in Wimbledon but painted Cycling Moo Kay at his parents’ home in Mickleham, which is near his home in Dorking and a short bike ride away from Box Hill. Both his father Mark and mother Sherree Valentine Daines are artists.

Charles, who will be 30 tomorrow (Friday 24 June), said: “It was inspiring to paint cycling scenes on Cycling Moo Kay surrounded by a really beautiful landscape which is so familiar to me. I’m a representational painter and have hopefully done justice to the stunning scenery in the Surrey Hills.

“I wasn’t sure what I was letting myself in for at the beginning when Doug approached me, but it is right up my street. Being from the local area and really into cycling and what it stands for, the project has suited me perfectly.

“The fact Cycling Moo Kay has been positioned in such an iconic spot at the top of Box Hill is marvellous and it’s fantastic that RideLondon will go past it.”

A plaque on the base of the artwork displays both Charles’ and the cow’s name, as well as the Cycling UK logo.

Cycling Moo Kay is one of dozens of brightly-coloured cows which have started to decorate the hills, farms, towns, schools and popular landmarks across the county as part of the Surrey Hills CowParade.

Individuals such as Doug, plus companies and schools, are sponsoring life-sized cows which they are decorating themselves or with the help of artists like Charles.

Cycling Moo Kay and her bovine friends will be on display until the end of August, when they will be herded back to Surrey Hills CowParade HQ at Coverwood Farm, Peaslake.

All the cows will be exhibited together in one place and judged at the inaugural Surrey Hills Food, Drink & Music Festival at Coverwood Farm on 3 September. Most will then be auctioned, while the cows judged to be the top 20 ‘Champions’ will bypass this auction and go to a gala event in London to make even more money.

Cow sponsors can choose their own charity and the net proceeds of the auction will be split between that and the Surrey Hills Trust Fund.

It’s a pretty cool cow and a genuine work of art. Charlie has painted it to show road cyclists coming up Box Hill on one side, and mountain bikers riding a trail through Denbies Wine Estate with the hill in the background on the other.”

Doug Clare, Cycling UK member and Cycling Moo Kay originator

Cycling UK certainly thinks its near-namesake is the – sorry again – veal deal!

Paul Tuohy, Cycling UK Chief Executive, said: “We’re incredibly grateful for this extremely generous gesture by Doug. The funds Cycling Moo Kay eventually raises will help us in our work to encourage people to make cycling a part of their everyday lives, as it’s good for your health, well-being, the environment and the economy.”

Internationally-celebrated artist and Surrey Hills resident Alexander Creswell is the patron of CowParade Surrey.

CowParade was born in Switzerland in 1998 and since then has been staged in more than 80 cities and towns worldwide including New York, London, Mexico, Istanbul, Paris and Buenos Aires. Over the years 3,000 cows have been decorated by more than 5,000 artists and over $30million has been raised for charity.

The highest-grossing cow was created by designer John Rocha for CowParade Dublin in 2003. Studded with thousands of pieces of Waterford Crystal it was auctioned for $146,000 – that’s a lot of moo-lah!

There is also a Surrey Hills CowParade app to help locals and tourists find and ‘collect’ all the cows scattered around the county. Once people have collected a cow, they will see a quiz question appear – answer it correctly and they will win a rosette.

A bumper prize is also on offer to the person who ‘collects’ the most cows – a seven-night holiday for two on Mauritius, courtesy of Kuoni.