The project is a partnership between Ideas Test, Friends of Milton Creek, Creative Estuary, Swale Borough Council, Raybel Charters, Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway, Swale Arts and Media Centre and local people to realise an ambitious work in Milton Creek Country Park. We developed initial ideas with a community panel that would like to see a landmark artwork on the site responding to its rich history and ecology. The community wrote the brief and selected the artist. It would be a first for Sittingbourne and would help to raise ambition and aspiration in the local area. The funding would allow the delivery of 6 community and school workshops in co-design and sculpture-making with Patrick Walls to incorporate community ideas and place-based themes which also teach local people skills and build confidence and pride in the area.

What we'll deliver:

• 2 day community stone sculpture making workshop, drawing on the local history and ecology
• 1 day community paper sculpture making workshop, drawing on the local history and ecology
• 1 day co-collaboration clay and history workshop with project partners Raybel Charters, to include barge tour
• 3 day workshop with local schools in paper sculpture making, local history story telling and species spotting
• Research & development of ideas in line with community consultation and co-design for landmark sculpture
• Celebratory event at Milton Creek Country Park at proposed landmark sculpture site
• Employ a talented and creative team to deliver high quality community provision

Why it's a great idea:

The project will bring together a critical collaboration between local community organisations, schools and the Sittingbourne community. In addition, the project will provide opportunities in Sittingbourne, which are historically low. The workshops will bring people together, develop skills, stimulate creativity and raise the profile of Milton Creek and the Country Parks' diversified heritage and ecology. The creations will unearth storytelling and explore local materials. The project will encourage improved mental health and well-being by connecting the community to nature and outdoor space and creating greater use of the country park, links to its Friends and their environmental work such as tree planting etc. Working towards the final landmark sculpture will ensure that art is accessible to all through the creation of a community-integrated experience resulting in an iconic object for Sittingbourne as a focus for local pride and a sense of identity.

Steps to get it done:

• Employ a local project manager and sign contracts
• Employ chosen artists and sign contracts
• Artist to develop workshop content, to be signed off by the Project Manager
• Confirm workshop dates
• Employ local project assistant
• Contact and sign up Sittingbourne primary schools
• Set up a marketing campaign to promote community workshops; via digital marketing strategy
• Promote volunteering opportunities across Sittingbourne using parter network
• Confirm workshop venues
• Gather heritage resources via local historians
• Artists to gather workshop materials - community participation recommended in this process
• Employ local photographer
• Run school workshops across 3 consecutive days
• Run 2 day stone sculpture workshop at Milton Creek Country Park (outdoor)
• Run 1 day Clay sculpture workshop at Lloyd's Wharf collaborating with Raybel Charters (outdoor)
• Run 1 day paper sculpture workshop at Milton Creek Country Park 'Room' facility
• Complete workshop evaluations and report to funder
• Team to collate community designs and ideas for final landmark piece
• Formulate workshop content into a presentation piece for celebration event
• Carry out celebratory event at proposed Landmark Sculpture location
• Submit reports and evidence to funder
• Apply for match funding to finance the landmark sculpture

‘Hidden Lands’ perfectly describes Milton Creek Country Park and the Creek. The Swale community helped to shortlist and choose Patrick Walls for the ‘Hidden Lands Engagement’ commission, which is successfully underway. We are now raising funds to deliver several co-design and explorative workshops, which will build-up to the final landmark piece overlooking Milton Creek. We are in the process of applying for the appropriate funding to commission Patrick to create this final piece. Examples of this work are included in the application. Patrick enjoys working on projects that explore the relationship between people and places and developing public art interventions that encourage interaction and engagement. Community interaction is an essential part of Patrick’s practice; from the initial stages of the design process, through consultation and workshops, to the finished outcomes. This project is creating public art that plays a pivotal role in integrating people with places.