Estate's family feel is sculpted

Hundreds of children living in Blackbird Leys were consulted by artist Diana Bell, who was commissioned to design and make a sculpture to go outside the new Lidl superstore in Watlington Road.

The final design of an abstract group of figures was decided after a majority of the youngsters said the best thing about the estate was community and family.

Work on the clay sculpture finished last week and it will be cast in bronze resin over the next three weeks. Last year, Blackbird Leys residents welcomed their first piece of public art when The Glow Tree was unveiled outside the Blackbird Leys Community Centre.

Artist Mrs Bell spoke to more than 250 children at Pegasus, Windale Avenue and Orchard Meadow primary schools, Blackbird Leys Adventure Playground (BLAP), apprentices at the BMW factory in Cowley and the Blackbird Leys Art Group (BLAG) before submitting a series of proposed designs to representatives from Lidl.

She said: "There was an overwhelming feeling on the estate that people wanted to talk about community togetherness and families.

"I think it is a really good choice because it relates to the supermarket, the community right next door, and it breaks up the whole industrial area.

"It is an abstract group of people - I want to keep it open for interpretation."

The sculpture has been named Together and should be in place in Watlington Road by the time the superstore opens at the end of March. A small exhibition of the children's ideas has gone on display to the public at Blackbird Leys Library.

The £10,000 sculpture was commissioned by Lidl in September and consultation began at the end of October. Work has been carried out over the past two months at the Magdalen Road Studios in East Oxford.

The Glow Tree sculpture was the estate's first piece of public art and opened by television's Blackbird Leys Choir almost 12 months ago.

Within weeks, the sculpture became home to a wild bird which set up a nest in the metal branches.