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A sculpture designed by students from three Aldingbourne schools will be unveiled later this week.

The big reveal is set to take place on October 14 at 2pm in the Aldingbourne Community Centre. The project represents months of hard work from students at Aldingbourne Primary School, Barnham Primary School and Ormiston Six Villages Academy, a secondary school.

They worked in tandem with acclaimed sculptor Richard Janes to research local farming practices, archaeology and geography, and participated in workshops on the history of sculpture and the function of art in public spaces.

Building on all that work, Janes developed three structural designs and presented them to students at a special session at Ormiston Six Villages academy. Parish councillors, and students from all three schools, came together to vote on their favourite design – which will be revealed to the public at Friday’s event.

Dancers at an Artswork event in Bognor Regis earlier this year. photo: Lisa Thurborn

Councillor Jackie Pendleton, Deputy Leader of Arun District Council and Chair of the Housing and Wellbeing Committee said: “I’m delighted to see this project comes to fruition, the students involved have been on an amazing journey of discover into both the history of sculpture and the history of their local areas. The end result is a wonderful sculpture that will be admired by everyone who visits the sports centre.”

Aldingbourne Parish Councillor Michelle Harbord added: “The Parish Council is really looking forward to seeing how the school children and wider community react to the unveiling of the sculpture. We hope it brings a sense of pride to those who were involved in the creative process. The sculpture will be located centrally at the Aldingbourne Community Sports centre and will be a new focus for the field for all to enjoy.”

The project was commissioned by Arun Inspires, a three year programme of cultural investment intended to ‘transform the life chances of children and young people across the district of Arun.’

It’s led by national arts charity Artswork in tandem with Arun District Council, and looks to invest in cultural opportunities for children and young people across the region.

Earlier this year, the charity led an arts and consultation project with young people in Bognor Regis dubbed ‘Our Town’, which gave young people a chance to explore their vision for the community.

Youth-led sculpture to be unveiled in Aldingbourne

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