Story:Steve Barnard
Photo:John Mellor
Longley Park Sixth Form College students have designed new wrought iron railings in Crabtree Ponds Nature Reserve. They worked on the project with Sheffield Wildlife Trust who received £23,000 from Veolia Environmental Trust to rebuild fences around the boundary of the site. They were officially opened at a celebration event in December.
The art and design students incorporated plants and wildlife found on the reserve into their design. They then worked with Campbell Design & Engineering Ltd at their workshop in Doncaster to make moulds and casts. Demi-Kay Gurnill, one of the students, said “I have enjoyed having a chance to work in a professional environment.”
“Working on a proper real live project has been great” said Matt Baker. “It has been a great opportunity to create a piece of artwork in the community that will be on show for the public for years to come.”
Rachel Stevenson, Community Wildlife Ranger at Sheffield Wildlife Trust said, “The students have created beautiful railings which really improve our pond and enhance the Victorian stone walls and boundary features on site; and thanks to Veolia – we’ve also given these students some practical, hands-on experience in design and engineering.”
