A living willow sculpture has been created by staff and service users from Cumbria County Council’s Hensingham Day Service as part of a project funded by the Cumbria Coastal Community Forest.
The group of volunteers were guided by local willow weaving expert, Phil Bradley, to create the sculpture in the grounds of the Day Service Centre. As well as providing a calming space, as the willow grows new shoots can be harvested to create other willow products such as plant supports.
The willow sculpture is part of a bigger project which aims to enhance biodiversity and improve the accessibility of the green space around the Centre. This will include the planting of fruit trees and other native tree species and the installation of picnic benches.
Raised beds will also be installed at the neighbouring Grassroots Horticultural Service to enable a small tree nursery to be established where native trees have space to grow before being planted at other Community Forest sites. It is hoped this will build a lasting relationship between the Grassroots Horticultural Service and the Community Forest.
Hensingham Day Service is a community-based service for people with learning and physical disabilities run by Cumbria County Council.
The Community Forest is funded by Defra’s Trees for Climate Fund and is a partnership project being led by Cumbria County Council and Cumbria Woodlands, in close working with other local councils including Allerdale Borough Council, Barrow Borough Council and Copeland Borough Council. It is also being supported by a range of other organisations including Art Gene, The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, The National Trust and Britain’s Energy Coast.
Councillor Celia Tibble, Cumbria County Council Cabinet Member for Environment, said:
“A huge well done to all the volunteers who braved wet and windy conditions to help create this fantastic piece of living artwork. It is wonderful to see how something living can be a part of art while still providing so many benefits to the environment and people’s wellbeing.”
Annette Atkinson, Hensingham Day Service Manager, added:
“This has been a fantastic opportunity for us as staff alongside our service users. Despite the weather, we had lots of fun working as a team and learning new skills. It has been great to be involved in something we will see and grow for the future. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it and had a fantastic experience.”
