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Suffolk
Coast & Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has a new
addition to its series of sculptures marking the Sandlings Walk,
the long-distance path which stretches from Ipswich to Southwold.
A new
nightjar sculpture has been carved out of wood by artist
Henry Tebbutt who created the series of 11 sculptures made from
bronze and metal, located along the 60 mile route through Suffolk
Heathland.
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| Nightjar
sculpture. |
Prior
to its installation on site - scheduled for Easter - members of
the public can go and see the sculpture of the nightjar which is
now on display at Ipswich Tourist Information Centre, (TIC) St
Stephens Lane, Ipswich.
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Lynn
Allen, Countryside Officer at Suffolk Coast and Heaths Unit
said: "Sadly, the latest
creation was commissioned in order to replace one that was
vandalised last year. Despite efforts to repair the piece
of art, vandals struck again, and so the decision was made
to replace the carving with a new one. At Easter it will join
the series of sculptures which are hidden along the 60 mile
route and walkers really enjoy discovering them along the
way."
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The
Sandlings Walk was launched in 2002 by the Suffolk Coast & Heaths
Unit, based at Melton, with the aim of linking as many of the remnant
heaths as possible between Ipswich and Southwold, an area known
as the 'Sandlings'.
The Path was created as part of a £500,000 grant from the
Heritage Lottery Fund, and has seen improvements to Public Rights
of Way and landscape work such as heathland management, hedge and
tree planting and pond restoration.
The
nightjar is the logo of the Sandlings Walk, and has been used to
waymark the route. This elusive bird is only found on lowland heaths
and arrives in England in May and stays until September, when it
returns to Africa for the winter. It is rare to see one but the
best time is at dusk on a summer evening, when the nightjar comes
out to feed and performs a magical display accompanied by a haunting
'churring' sound.
David
Stainer, Manager of Ipswich Tourist Information Centre, said "I
am delighted to have the sculpture on display at the TIC where it
can be enjoyed by all our customers - locals as well as visitors.
It adds great variety to the programme of exhibitions and displays
we have planned here for the coming year as well as being a very
visual way of promoting the Sandlings Walk."
For
further information, please contact, Lynn Allen, Countryside
Officer, Suffolk Coast & Heaths Unit.
- Tel:
01394 384948
- Email:
lynn@suffolkcoastandheaths.org
- For
details of Ipswich TIC opening times, please call, 01473 258070
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