New sculptures for ‘eyesore’ roundabout

CHARLOTTE GREEN

HASLINGDEN’S ‘rotting’ roundabout sculpture is finally to be replaced.

The Workers artwork, erected at the Road End roundabout in 2007, is to be refurbished after a total of £1,000 of funding was secured from Rossendale council.

It comes after complaints were made about the state of the roundabout and the impression it gives to people entering the town.

The sculpture was designed by students at Tor View Community Special School and created to represent the historical cotton industry in the Valley and the people who built it.

Although the two workers have stood up to the Valley elements, the ‘bobbins’ they stood against, made from wooden cable drums, have fared less well and have begun to rot and fall apart.

Tor View has now secured a council £500 Neighbourhood Grant towards replacement of the structure.

A Rossendale council spokesman confirmed that would be made up to £1,000, saying: “The council has match funded this grant so that this project can be delivered and the ●● The Workers sculpture now and how it looked intact roundabout improved.”

Unlike the originals, the new replacement bobbins have been well weatherproofed and the school hopes they will last much longer than their predecessors.

Peter Sweetmore, chairman of governors at Tor View, said: “It’s taken the best part of 18 months to secure some funding to get the work done.

“The bobbins are a mess – they’re in such a state, rotting and falling apart. But we have got the new ones ready and the workers have been completely refurbished to go back up.

“We’re hoping to get it done as soon as possible.” can be

The workers had to be removed until replacement bobbins could be found, prompting criticism of the state of the roundabout.

Mr Sweetmore added: “The children who pass them on their way to school are really missing them, they’ll be delighted to see them back. We’ll be thrilled to bits to see them restored.”

He said the school hopes to have the new structure in place in the next few weeks and are meeting with contractors to arrange the works.

Motorist John Elford had written to the Free Press to complain that Haslingden now had the ‘world’s blandest, ugliest roundabout’.

He said: “One of the drums is that rotten it has now totally collapsed.

“It would not take much to plant some eye pleasing shrubs and plants which would brighten the town up.”

‘The bobbins are a mess – they’re rotting and falling apart’