Tynemouth Reveals Stunning New Sculpture
The artwork overlooks the iconic Tynemouth seafront, close to the Tynemouth Rowing Club and was made possible through the support of England’s first Destination Development Partnership Pilot, Destination North East England alongside the North East Combined Authority, North Tyneside Council, Sustrans, NewcastleGateshead Initiative and Visit Northumberland.
It was funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which aims to enhance pride in place and create new opportunities by investing in communities, businesses, and skills.
Situated on the famous Coast to Coast cycling route, the steel sculpture, which features a larger-than-life park bench depicting local scenes and a vintage bike propped up alongside will act as an iconic starting point or welcome finishing spot for those taking on the cross-country trek – celebrating the area’s renowned active travel credentials.
Installed on 30th July, the sculpture will be officially dedicated to the local community groups who have helped bring the artwork to life in a ceremony in early September. Visitors will be able to view the statue with an information board and QR code adjacent to the artwork providing insights into the region’s cycling infrastructure and the suggested wheeling adventures to be had.
The artwork’s design is the result of a number of community engagement workshops with local people and the walkers, cyclists and wheelers who flock to the area to take in our dramatic coastlines, tranquil countryside and vibrant urban centres.
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The North East is a popular active travel destination, with its direct connections to Europe welcoming adventurous tourists via the DFDS ferry connection, the East Coast Mainline and Newcastle International Airport.
The project team organised drop-in events to allow local residents to ask questions about the new sculpture, and to contribute ideas to the final piece. As part of the community engagement work, members of Cullercoats Methodist Art Group came up with designs celebrating the area’s heritage, for the back panel of the bench.
Young people from Tynemouth Sea Scouts, Cubs and Beavers groups also contributed their ideas about travelling an imagined bike journey. Local writing group the Linskill Scribblers have used their words to inspire a poem for the back panel of the sculpture.
It is hoped that the sculpture will help to inspire more people to saddle up and explore the region on wheels or on foot, supporting Destination North East England’s ambitions to double the value of the visitor economy in a way that looks after our people, places and planet.
The Destination Development Partnership is also funding a corridor of e-bike charging points at key landmarks and attractions along the coast from Durham to Northumberland, opening up the region with more sustainable travel options.
News content supplied, images courtesy of Destination North East England
