Worsley Delph Community Fund Competition

Congratulations to The Worsley Village Association, the winners of our £500 community fund competition.

The money is going to be used towards the Worsley Village Summer Fair, an exciting event attracting around 700 local residents and visitors. The fair includes over 30 stalls selling a variety of food, drinks and other goods. There will also be children's activities and a live performance from a Ukele band, as well as a photography and art contest. 

Thank you very much to all the organisations who entered the competition. 

 

See below our poster advertising the competition:

 

Worsley Delph Community Fund Flyer.jpg

Arnold Bennett Statue Unveiled

A statue celebrating Stoke-on-Trent's most famous literary son has been unveiled – on what would have been his 150th birthday. The two metre high bronze sculpture of novelist, playwright and essayist Arnold Bennett was revealed to the public on 27th May. A host of guests and civic dignitaries, including Bennett's grandson Denis Eldin, attended the unveiling outside the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Hanley.

The statue was commissioned by the Arnold Bennett Society, funded by the Denise Coates Foundation and gifted to the city. Arnold Bennett Society vice-president Ray Johnson MBE said: “The statue is the culmination of very careful planning for a number of years, and we are thrilled that it is being unveiled on such an historic day."

The Arnold Bennett society worked with local sculptors Michael Talbot and Carl Payne to create the statue and Horticon Ltd were engaged by Stoke City Council to construct the accessible plinth for the statue. Our works were carefully programmed with the artist to ensure there was sufficient time to install his sculpture before the opening. Mr Talbot, from Leek, said: “We've placed it at ground level so you can sit with it, have your photograph taken with it. It's not elevated on a plinth in a traditionally superior way, it's accessible to the public as he wrote about Stoke-on-Trent and the people of Stoke-on-Trent.”

Further details can be found on the Stoke Sentinel and ITV News

Atherton Cenotaph Memorial Garden

Horticon were delighted to be involved in the project to create a memorial garden around Atherton Cenotaph. The memorial garden has long been anticipated and it’s construction was made possible through a grant from Wigan Council's Brighter Borough funding and donations from local councillors. 

Our works included the construction of a resin bonded footpath, construction of a raised stone planter wall with sandstone crests inlaid in the walling and installation of new fencing and planting. 

The works were completed in time for the Remembrance Sunday service that was held in the garden.   Further information can be found by clicking here.

Chatterley Valley Sculpture officially unveiled

The 21 metre high “Golden” sculpture was officially switched on at a celebration on Friday 4th November which was attended by hundreds of local residents. Horticon were engaged to carry out the landscaping works at the former colliery site and our works involved the construction of footpaths, installation of street furniture and casting the base for the impressive piece of artwork called “Golden.” The sculpture was designed by award-winning artist Wolfgang Buttress and features 1,500 glass balls, each containing a short message or wish. The sculpture commemorates the Potteries heritage and the designers say the LEDs at night coupled with the sunlight reflecting prisms will create a permanent glow in a nod to the ironworks where the sculpture now sits.

Councillor Terry Follows, cabinet member for a greener city, said: "The installation of Golden has been a community-led project, with people living and working nearby keen to make the area surrounding it more usable and accessible. The landscaping has included installing paths, planting trees and grassy areas, developing a wildflower patch and providing lighting to the sculpture. The site has been transformed into a place where people of all ages can come and relax, and enjoy the stunning views for miles around. Golden is an iconic piece of artwork and it's great that an artist of such calibre has chosen the city to display his work.”

For further details of the opening event please click here.

Friends of Lightoaks Park, Salford

We were delighted to be able to support the aims of the Friends of lightoak Park, where we have recently completed the installation of playground facilities, by making a donations of £500 which was presented by Maxine Peake, the well known actress.

Read the news article on the event from SalfordOnline.com

Roe Green Cycleway

Client: Salford City Council
Architect: Urban Vision Partnership Ltd
Value: £375,000

Description:
This project involved the construction of a 1.2km long 3 metre wide shared pedestrian and cyclist footpath on a former railway loopline within a cutting. Timber edgings were installed and bitmac surfacing laid. Tar and chip surfacing completed the cycleway. Associated works included the construction of timber steps, access paths, fencing, motorcycle barriers, signage, soil and seeding.

Bridgewater Canal HLF Project

Client: Salford City Council
Architect: Urban Vision Partnership Ltd
Value: £1.2 million
 

About this project
This £1.2 million Heritage Lottery Funded project has been undertaken to upgrade and widen the Bridgewater Canal towpath to create a shared pedestrian and cycle path. The project was undertaken on 6 sites including Barton Road, Barton Aqueduct, Boothstown Canal Towpath, Dukes Drive Country Park, Hall Bank Road and Worsley Green. 

The project comprised the construction of over 2km of bitmac footpath finished in tar and chip surfacing, the installation of a knee rail at Worsley Green, the refurbishment of Barton Aqueduct Park and the construction of an overflow car park at Dukes Drive Country Park. Works included site clearance, excavations, drainage, installation of street lighting columns, bitmac surfacing, tar and chip surfacing, construction of a timber boardwalk, installation of fencing and street furniture and tree and shrub planting.

Lightoaks Park, Salford

Works are currently underway in the play area at Lightoaks Park in Salford. We organised a competition for Year 1 and Year 2 pupils from Light Oaks Infant School to design a poster to warn other children not to enter the building site. We were very impressed with the posters and it was difficult to choose the winners but after a lot of deliberation the 3 winners from each class are now displayed on site. Congratulations to all the entrants!

Civic Award Winners

Horticon were delighted to be awarded a Commendation at the 2015 Civic Awards for Design and Conservation.  We received the award in partnership with our Client, Cheshire West and Chester Council and the Designer, CWaC Landscape for The Roman Gardens in Chester.   

Churchfield Play Area Official Opening

The recently completed Churchfield Play Area was officially opened by Frodsham Mayor Fran Sutton on 19th September. Horticon undertook the works to improve the existing play area which has been a hit with local residents. 

Mayor Sutton said: “This is a fantastic new play area for the children of Frodsham to have fun at with their friends and families. The equipment is designed to last for more than 20 years, so those playing here now could one day bring their own children. There has been so much planning into this play area, but now it’s all about children having fun and enjoying the equipment.”

For further information click here http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/news/local-news/100000-upgrade-frodsham-playground-unveiled-10107888