Aldingbourne residents ‘Delighted’ by Parish’s first public artwork. Huge ‘Skywards Spiral’ sculpture designed with help of local schoolchildren

Aldingbourne residents, Parish and District Councillors and local school pupils came together on Friday 14th October at a special ceremony to celebrate the unveiling of the parish’s first ever community sculpture.

 ‘Skywards Spiral’ is a large [3.5m high] bronze and galvanised steel sculpture created for Aldingbourne by acclaimed artist Richard Janes and commissioned by the Parish and District Councils and Artswork, as part of our Arun Inspires Programme. Richard developed the design in a series of workshops with children from three local schools, Aldingbourne and Barnham primaries and Ormiston Six Villages Academy secondary.  The sculpture incorporates the pupils’ research into the history and unique features of the parish. 

This sculpture has been created as part of Arun Inspires, a 3-year programme of cultural investment transforming the life chances of children and young people across the District of Arun, led by Artswork. Delivered in partnership with Arun District Council, it seeks to invest in new high-quality cultural opportunities for Arun’s children and young people.

Arun District Cllr Isabel Thurston formally unveiled the sculpture at the ceremony at Aldingbourne Community Sports Centre attended by local residents, Richard Janes, Parish and District Councillors, representatives of Artswork and many of the pupils involved in developing the design. Students from Ormiston who are part of a rock band opened the proceedings with an excellent performance of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ by Nirvana. 

At the launch, Cllr Michelle Harbord, who led the project for the Parish Council, said: 

 “The Parish Council is delighted to be able to unveil Richard Janes’ wonderful sculpture today.  We hope it brings a sense of pride not just to all those who were involved in the creative process, but to the whole parish.  The artwork is located centrally in the grounds of Aldingbourne Community Sports Centre where it will provide a new focus for everyone to enjoy”. 

 Richard Janes added: 

 “It’s been a real pleasure to work with local children and incorporate their discoveries about the parish into the sculpture.  I’ve made it partly in the shape of a shepherd’s crook, for example, because the playing field on which it’s been installed used to be grazed by sheep, and I’ve included representations of plague masks because the entire village of Aldingbourne had to move eastwards because of the plague.  The design also features local birds, animals and flowers”. 

 Beccy East, Programme Manager for Artswork’s ‘Arun Inspires’ project, said: 

 ‘Showcasing young people’s creativity in the heart of their communities empowers young people and can have a transformative impact on places. This project is a brilliant example of what can be achieved when quality artists, the local community, schools and young people’s imaginations work together.’ 

Local resident Jasmin Goddard, who attended the launch, commented: 

 “I’m delighted to see this genuinely exciting project – I love the fact that it’s brought so many local schoolchildren together”. 

The sculpture was funded by Artswork with support from Arun District Council using ‘Section 106’ monies resulting from housing development.  Aldingbourne Parish Council provided the land on which to install the work. 

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Arun Inspires Parish Council young people