Wiltshire College & University Centre were thrilled to be involved in the grand opening of the Woodland Creatures Sculpture Trail at Westmead Open Space at the weekend.

The project, organised by Chippenham Borough Lands, has seen the creation of 12 animal sculptures carved out of wood at the site in Chippenham resulting in the establishment of a Tree Sculpture Trail.

All of the sculptures have been developed by Ollie Adams, a member of the gardens team at the College’s Lackham campus, and were designed following a competition organised by Chippenham Borough Lands in 2019. Ollie was assisted in the project by fellow gardens team member Russell Fletcher and Lackham Farm and Estate manager Philip Steans.

The competition saw local children design a wooden sculpture to be included in the Tree Sculpture Trail, with a winner chosen from each of the local primary schools in the Chippenham area.

The idea for the Tree Sculpture Trail came following Ollie’s original creation of an owl sculpture at the site and amongst the new designs are a fox, a hare and various insects.

The trail was officially unveiled at a special ceremony on Saturday, with all of the winning artists and their families in attendance alongside representatives from Chippenham Borough Lands and the College.

Sculptor Ollie Adams said: “It was a privilege to be involved in the Woodland Creatures Sculpture Trail project and contribute to the local community. We received so many exciting designs, the level of creativity from the students was inspiring.”

The Tree Sculpture Trail is the latest project as part of the College’s collaboration with Chippenham Borough Lands. Earlier this summer, the organisation supported the Weather Balloon project which saw students from the College’s Engineering department send a balloon to the edge of space.

If you are interested in starting a course at the College in 2022, Open Events are being held on every campus during October and November. For more information or to book a place, visit our Events page.