Lillington youth bench gets grand unveiling
A community bench created by young people from Lillington Youth Centre is set to have an official launch on Saturday 7 June.
The bench was delivered and put in place in Crown Way shopping centre, Lillington using a crane on Friday and was unveiled by the lord mayor of Leamington with the support of local councillors and residents from the Lillington area.
The public piece of art - a 13-foot community bench has been created young people aged 11 – 19, from Lillington Community Action Forum.
All of the young people involved had input into the project, which started as just an idea at a public meeting, nearly two years ago. Since that time, the young people have consulted with local residents, attended neighbourhood watch meetings, held a public meeting in the local library (to provide everyone with a vote) and put in bids (with the support of local group CHAIN) to raise money for the project.
Funding and support for the project has been received from The Arts Council, Warwickshire County Council’s Community Development Fund and Youth Opportunities Fund.
After gaining funding, the young people then went onto consult with Warwickshire artists, Rice Design to see how to approach the project. It was decided that the bench should reflect the closeness of local community and from that came the idea to take pictures of all local residents and put their picture into cartoon format onto the bench.
Youth and Community Worker, Hollie Hutchings said:
“We are really excited about the unveiling of the bench. We are hoping that residents in Lillington will come along and see the work, which really does have a unique design. All of the young people have worked really hard and I am very proud of the work they have done.”
The bench itself has been carved from a massive piece of solid Poplar – felled as part of Forest management in the National Forest and will provide seating for both adults and children.