‘We wanted the children to look back at year positively’
Pupils in village design sculpture dedicated to happy lockdown memories for garden...
CHILDREN in a North Staffordshire village have seen their memories of lockdown come alive in a new sculpture.
Tina Holdcroft, of Holdcroft Heating, along with Michelle Lymer, manager of Nisa Local in Brown Edge, decided that they wanted to organise a project for children in their local community to get involved with during lockdown.
It began with youngsters and their parents collecting seeds and compost from the store, to give the children something to do whilst in lockdown. From there, they also collected bunting squares that were returned to the store and displayed, all coloured in and decorated with different designs.
Tina and Michelle then decided to put a Staffordshire twist on their next activity for the children, by handing out packs of clay for them to mould into their happiest lockdown memory.
It was a long process of firing, decorating and displaying, but now the sculpture is up in the heart of Brown Edge’s Millennium Garden for the whole community to enjoy.
Tina said: “At the start we weren’t sure it it would all work and come together, but it has.
“Even though this year has been tough and lockdown was a terrible time, we wanted the children to look back at it in a positive way. I’m a positive person and if I can’t find a positive, I make one, so I wanted to do the same with this.
“We knew that some children might find the project difficult, so I contacted a lady called Caroline Scol who works with children and young adults to support their wellbeing.
“She wrote a leaflet for me to include in the packs of clay that we gave out, that explained how to sit with an adult and think of a happy memory, as well as lots of useful telephone numbers and links if they needed more support.
“Hannah from Valentine Clays donated the clay, as well as the paints and glazes that we also used. We gave out the packs to the children, and some we didn’t get back, but we know that those children had joy from playing with the clay.
“They were fired and fixed by Jon French, master potter, and painted by Emma May Bailey.
“When we saw the end result of them, Michelle and I were just absolutely gobsmacked – they looked amazing and we were totally blown away.
“I love that we were able to make the project Stokie. There’s not many places where you can find a master potter and a top ceramic artist in the same city!”
Several local businesses and organisations including Valentine Clays, Loveclay, Emma Bailey
Cermanics, Artworks - PM Training, N & J Services, Graphix, Holdcroft Heating, Nisa Local Brown Edge and Brown Edge Parish Council all gave their support t the project.
Tina said: “Once the clay was all fired and painted, it was time to make the sculpture which Dan from PM Training and Artworks got spot on straight away. I didn’t want the sculpture to be scary in anyway, I wanted it to be happy and reflect the nature of the project.
“We were so impressed with all of the designs on the sculpture. They included depictions of a family together, a few of space, a few with their garden and references to nature, as well as rainbows and faces with masks to pay tribute to the NHS. There was even one with a puppy on it!
“I welled up at one in particular, that was in the shape of a phone and showed Facetime with Nanny and Grandad. They were all so special but that one in particular got me.”
Tina and everyone involved in the project hope that it makes people smile as they walk past the sculpture, which is encased in glass to protect it from the elements.
Tina continued: “It’s absolutely lovely for the community. It’s situated in the Millenium Garden and it’s a school walk route for a lot of children and families. If it puts a smile on at least one person’s face then it was all worth it.
“It’s not about us, even though we are really pleased with it, it’s about the kids. It’s just a shame that our unveiling celebration has had to be so small. When it is safe to do so we want to have a bigger event to really celebrate with the children.”
Peter Turner, head of Brown Edge Parish Council said: “During lockdown we set up a Covid-19 support group for the village, because were worried about the wellbeing of people, especially families and children, during this uncertain time.
“When Tina approached us with this I just thought it was fantastic. It wasn’t a small task and she did an incredible job of co-ordinating everything. It really shows the depth of community spirit, the fact that so many small businesses and individuals donated both their money and time to make it all work, at a time when they would have been struggling a lot themselves.
“When the children see their work in the sculpture, I think it will really have a positive impact and raise their position of themselves and how they have helped their community. On behalf of the community I am so thankful for everyone involved - it really is a whole community effort and we are so happy and proud of the outcome.”
You can find out more on the Brown Edge Parish Council Facebook page - including videos of the whole process.