LOCAL STUDENTS LEAVE LASTING LEGACY IN COMMEMORATIVE GARDEN
Over 90 students from Taunton will create and donate individual pieces of art to be displayed in a new community garden celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee next month.
The students from The Taunton Academy and Selworthy School, both in Priorswood, have prepared a series of mosaics and tiles in school as part of the curriculum and they will be placed in the new garden ahead of its opening on the 2nd June.
The project is being run by local charity, The North Taunton Partnership and has been made possible by a number of grants including £13,000 from St. Modwen, who is developing the £270 million Firepool scheme and the £30 million Langford Mead scheme both in Taunton. Its involvement with the garden is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to improving the communities and environments where it works. The Big Lottery Fund has also made a contribution.
Year 7 and 8 students from The Taunton Academy have prepared a series of ten 40cm square mosaics themed on the Jubilee. In addition to the mosaics, all the students aged between four and 18 from Selworthy School have created ceramic hand print tiles that will be set in the pathways of the garden.
Sue Kilbey Chairman of the North Taunton Partnership, said: “We wanted to get young people involved in the garden so that they could feel connected with it and become its custodians in the future. The artwork is the perfect way to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and will serve as a lasting legacy of the event here in Taunton.”
The students’ art will not be the only visual display in the new garden. Local sculptor, Chris Webb, has been commissioned to create a unique, contemporary stone sculpture crafted from portland stone. Chris has been sculpting for more than 30 years and specialises in contemporary and abstract pieces. His white stone sculpture will stand two metres high and will be a main focal point in the garden.
Ian Guy, Senior Development Manager for St. Modwen, commented: “It is great to see the garden progressing and that the whole community in Priorswood is getting involved.
“Creating communities is an integral part of what we do at St. Modwen and we are proud that the garden will help bring local residents closer together.”
St. Modwen is committed to the Taunton area where it is currently developing two major combined residential and commercial schemes. The company has successfully worked in Taunton on bringing forward the development at Langford Mead and its flagship scheme at Firepool, is well underway with work, which will eventually create 4,000 jobs locally and up to 400 homes as well as new leisure and retail facilities
