An Oxfordshire not-for-profit organisation unveiled a unicorn sculpture made from waste and recycled materials to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III.
The unicorn is referred to as ‘living’ as elements of it will eventually be covered by plant growth.
It was unveiled by deputy lieutenant of Oxfordshire Robert Buckeldee yesterday (May 8).
READ MORE: Splash park to remain shut all summer over children injury fears
Cherwell Collective built the sculpture in Kidlington in the Green Space Garden in Park Hill.
The organisation works in and around Oxford to educate the community to reduce food waste and increase wellbeing.
Items that might normally go to landfill like used tyres, damaged wooden tables, a broken recliner chair, and scaffolding poles were used to build the unicorn.
Its skeleton is made of re-purposed scaffolding tubes and the face of the unicorn with recycled milk bottles.
The 2.5m by 4m sculpture also has a refence to the royal coat of arms and has been built to honour the king’s climate action legacy.
Director and founder of the Cherwell Collective, Emily Connally said: “People keep asking how long the sculpture will last like they were expecting us to be sculpting marble.
“Society views plastic as disposable and transient, thinking it will somehow disappear when discarded, but that’s just not the case.
“Milk bottles will remain on Earth much longer than we will.
“This type of waste is a permanent problem, to which the only obvious solution is to ban any further production and find ways to better reuse what is already here.”
Cherwell Collective also hosted two other events to celebrate the Coronation.
On Sunday (May 7), the Kidlington based organisation put on a ‘Coronation Big Lunch which fed over 300 people with no entry fee.
READ MORE: Interest rates set to INCREASE, warn Oxford economists
Climatarian Kitchen, which is run by Cherwell Collective, catered the event using only locally grown or surplus food.
People wanting a cream tea service were asked to pay-what-you-can, and provided with a suggested donation of £12, which was the carbon cost of 12 car miles.
Carbon costing uses a food’s carbon footprint.
In total, the Big Lunch helped the community save 3,600 car miles worth of food from landfill and raised awareness about the importance of sustainable celebrations.
Ms Connally added: "Cherwell Collective uses a pay-what-you-can model so that events can remain open to all.
“We suggest donation amounts based on the carbon cost of items to help increase transparency of how everyday choices make an impact on the planet.”
Cherwell Collective also organised a Big Help Out litter pick yesterday (May 8) when the unicorn statue was unveiled.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here