A CAMPAIGN for Yes billboards based on the idea of Scotland being big enough, rich enough and smart enough to be an independent nation has raised more than £13,000 in just four days.

Tom Ullathorne set up a funding page to challenge the “too wee, too poor, too stupid” rhetoric often used against the Yes side.

In June The National ran a special eight-page feature packed with the facts that help lay out the rationale for Scottish independence.

Ullathorne said that after backing The National’s campaign he tweeted suggesting Colin Dunn's posters with The National's message should be on billboards. Campaign partners Scott Cowper, Wendy Smith and David Hooks agreed and decided to set up the page on GoGetFunding.

He added: “I was put in touch with a group already set up to do this – they’ve done so much research like planning guidance.”

The group has made an application with the Scottish Independence Fund and is in talks with Farmers for Yes and other pro-independence groups. The campaign was set up on Friday and within 12 hours it had reached its funding target of £4000. The target is now at £16,000 and contributions stood at £13,260 at the time of writing.

Ullathorne stressed the campaign is non-political. “We want people to come to their own conclusions which goes along with our non-political stance – it’s hard facts,” he said.

Did Ullathorne expect to raise the money so quickly? “No, I wasn’t expecting this,” he said. “It reflects where we are as a movement. People are very ready for action. There’s a displeasure with some people, they are ready to be out there campaigning similar to 2014. We’ve had lots of genuine well wishes and ideas from people.”

The team will work with graphic and video artist Stewart Kerr Brown who has produced graphics for Yes West Lothian for several years and produced all the graphics from the “Know Scotland” campaign of adverts on ScotRail trains.

The plan is to have billboards and motion graphics in pubs, initially in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Stirling. This will take up half the £16,000 figure and the other £8000 will be spent on matching funds for Yes groups’ campaigns across Scotland.

Ullathorne believes campaigns like this are crucial for winning indyref2. “The idea of independence is foreign for someone to start with and then it becomes natural,” he explained.

“Repeating a simple message will activate the idea we are big enough, smart enough and rich enough. I can’t wait to see a billboard up and get a selfie with it. It will get people talking and feeling like they are in the movement.”

Donate at www.gogetfunding.com/lets-show-scotland-that-we-are-big-enough-smart-enough-rich-enough-a-scottish-independence-advertising-campaign/#