'The Bookworm' is a 'wow' with local schoolchildren
An impressive new wood sculpture in Barry's Central Park has
been given a 'wow' factor welcome by local schoolchildren.
The children from St Helen's, Gladstone and Holton schools
joined Vale of Glamorgan Council leader Cllr Margaret Alexander for
the official unveiling of 'The Bookworm.'
Produced by environmental artist Dave Welton from the trunk of
an ash tree that had its crown removed because of disease, the
piece of public art highlights the close proximity of the popular
open space to the council's new County Library.
The idea of giving the 6m high tree trunk a new lease of life
came from the Vale council's parks and grounds maintenance team,
who take care of the park and other recreation areas across the
area.
Dave, who started woodcarving as a hobby while working as a
ranger at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park in 1992, said: "There are so
many considerations an artist must take into account with public
art such as its position and relevance to the site.
"With the library and play area being so close, 'The Bookworm'
has to be one of my quickest ideas but it was certainly not one of
the easiest to carve."
Dave, who uses a selection of tools, including chainsaws and
chisels, added: "The tree trunk alone was 20ft high and the
diameter at the top over three foot."
Cllr Alexander, who told the children that she had been
visiting the park since she was a little girl, said:
“Unfortunately, the tree was dying and, for safety reasons, had to
be cut back to the trunk. But what we have now is a fantastic
example of what can be achieved with a little imagination.
"We have done a great deal of work in re-establishing this green
oasis in the town centre. It is regarded as a great asset by the
community.
"The park is very popular with families from across the area,
and exciting initiatives like this are aimed at encouraging greater
use by schools and activity groups and closer links with our
wonderful new County Library."
It is council policy that, for every tree felled, two more will
be planted, and operational manager (parks and grounds maintenance)
Phil Beaman said: "Although there isn’t room for any more trees in
Central Park, we promise two more will be planted in the Vale.”
Prior to the unveiling, children from Gladstone school sang a
song on the theme of world peace, and St Helen's pupils concluded
with a special Central Park 'thank you' song. All the youngsters
received goody bags during a special visit by Father Christmas.
Caption: Vale of Glamorgan Council Leader Cllr
Margaret Alexander was joined for the unveiling of 'The Bookworm'
by local schoolchildren Bethan Klee and Sam Bowen (Holton), Cerys
Anderson and Cameron Crow (Gladstone) and Louisa Spence and Dylan
Rudolph (St Helen's).