Kiveton Park pit gets community recognition

Consultation starts next week in the two villages on the creation of a public artwork that will commemorate the people and the pit ponies of the former Kiveton Park Colliery.

Artist Adam Reynolds worked with local schoolchildren and adults to design artworks celebrating the ordinary and everyday things that make people smile. Sayings that people have contributed have been incorporated into three 'outlines' of local people, which will be installed in the Desire Estate.

The consultation is part of a long-running project funded by Strata homes to create sculptures for the Desire estate and the surrounding area.

Adam said: "We created the sculptures some years ago now with local people and we will be really pleased to see them finally installed now the estate is nearly complete. We would also like to work with all new and existing residents to design a final artwork to celebrate the heritage of the area."

Local residents wanting to find out more are invited to join a design workshop to be held between 2 and  8 pm on Monday, November 29, at the Kiveton Park and Wales Village Hall.

Adam will be on hand to talk about the existing designs, and anyone who joins him will be able to help design the final work.  If you have ideas on what this could be about, have an interest in the heritage of the area or in where the works should be sited, please drop in. 

Suggestions so far include a commemoration of the ponies who spent much of their lives in the mines, and who were much loved and cared for by the boys and men who worked there.

Adam will also be taking his design workshops to local groups in the area. If any group would like him to join them, please contact the Community Arts service to arrange a workshop visit.

After approval by the local community, it is hoped that all the works will completed before the end of March 2011.

For details on the artworks please call Community Arts on 01709 823636 or email community.arts@rotherham.gov.uk  or visit the arts pages of the Council website.

Alternatively, contact the artist Adam Reynolds on 07876 201695 or email adam@adamreynolds.co.uk.