The head turning 3 metres tall sculpture is made from 60 re-‘cycled’ bicycles and cannot be missed as it stands in all its Tour de France grandeur on the junction of Worrall Road and Kirk Edge Road in Worrall.
The ‘Up-Cycle’ sculpture was admired by Nick Clegg (MP) this week as he attended a special celebration event to officially unveil the sculpture in time for the Grand Depart. Mr Clegg talked to members of the local community, supporting organisations and sponsors – all of which had a hand in making the sculpture or contributed in some way towards its success.
Nick Clegg (MP) commented: “I am honoured to officially unveil the ‘Up-Cycle’ sculpture to celebrate the Tour de France racing through Worrall – it is truly striking. The sculpture symbolises both the community that played a part in building it and our commitment to re-‘cycling’ in Sheffield to protect our city for the future”.
The 60 unwanted bicycles of all shapes and sizes used to make the sculpture were provided by Veolia and The Green Company in partnership with Sheffield City Council from the city’s 5 Household Waste Recycling Centres. The bicycles were dismantled into their component parts ready to be re-‘cycled’ into this phenomenal wreath of bicycle parts. The sculpture was then created by the local community at a number of re-‘cycling’ workshops that were attended by over 120 residents - all of which added their chosen piece to the sculpture.
Local resident Claire Bull - who added handlebars and cogs to the sculpture, commented: “I really enjoyed attending the re-‘cycling’ workshop and playing a part in building ‘Up-Cycle’. I am new to the area and it was lovely to see local people of all ages and abilities come along and get involved. A lot of commitment and hard work went on behind the scenes so a big ‘thank you’ to all those that enabled us to commemorate the race in such a unique and community spirited way.”
This creative project has been led by local artists Robin and Sara Widdowson who have done a remarkable job of directing the project from the initial concept and design stage to the ‘finishing line’. This has been deservedly reflected by their personal invite to a VIP ceremony at Whitehall by Nick Clegg in recognition of their efforts.
The sculpture will be the focal point for spectators enjoying the Tour de France in Worrall and will be on site until 20 July 2014 giving residents the opportunity to enjoy the sculpture long after the race has left England. The sculpture will then be dismantled and returned to a Household Waste Recycling Centre where the bicycle parts will go on to be recycled into a range of new metal products.
This exciting project has been fully supported by a number of local businesses and individuals including: Robin and Sara Widdowson, Veolia, The Green Company, Sheffield City Council, Hillsborough Steel Stock Ltd, Ashhurst Fabrications Ltd, Rollmaster Rings Ltd, Gripple Ltd, Jewel Construction Ltd, MKM Building Supplies, Nick Clegg (MP), Martin Evans Associates, 3M Buckley Innovation Centre (part funded by ERDF), Universal Office Products Ltd, Bradfield Parish Council, Worrall Community Association and of course the local community.
For more information about the ‘Up-Cycle' sculpture or your Waste and Recycling Services, please call: 0114 273 4567 or visit www.veolia.co.uk/sheffield. If you are a Twitter user and wish to follow us then you can find the ‘Recycle4Sheffield’ profile page at: www.twitter.com/recycle4shef.
