Praise for Skegness students as five hand-made Remembrance sculptures go on display

The five hand-made pieces – each symbolising key aspects of war-time history – are now being exhibited at the Skegness Branch of the Royal British Legion’s hub in the Hildreds Centre.

They were created by students from Skegness Academy, who have gone ‘above and beyond’ to ensure the art project was completed before half term, in time for the poppy appeal.

As reported last year, the school created ‘Hetty’ the war horse from purple crocheted poppies, and now there are five more – each with their own story to tell.

They are:

• The Cold War Monolith – depicts the words “Courage, Duty and Home” in morse code. The sculpture was created to reflect the hidden communication networks that existed during the war.

• Carried Home – A sculpture depicting the experiences of children who were displaced during WWII. The wire-framed bear was created by sixth form students using crocheted poppies crafted by community members, and brown tags which children would have worn when being evacuated. Each tag was written by sixth form students, before being given an aged effect by year 7 students.

• The Long Voyage South – a whale sculpture was built by staff and year 10 students who attend the school’s art club. They aim to remember those who served during the Falkland's war, depicting a whale tale emerging from rough seas.

• Beyond The Shore – A female soldier watches the sunrise over Skegness beach, this painted monolith was created by year 10 students with a hand-written letters – the artwork inviting people to reflect on the sacrifices that continue to be made in the modern world.

Silent Waters – Created by staff and students, this cardboard sculpture of a sinking trawler features miniature sea mines, reflecting the perilous job of fisherman during the Second World War.

Members of the public have praised the students, for their work.

Writing on Facebook, one resident said: “So lovely to see young people showing an interest,” while another added: “Well done to all involved, this is amazing.”

“We are extremely proud to unveil this years' sculptures for Remembrance,” a school spokesperson said.

The project this year has aimed to include more students, be more cross-curricular and engage everyone in the subject of remembering those who serve.

“A huge amount of work has gone into the sculptures from the art department, our ‘Beyond the Classroom’ art club, the entire Sixth Form cohort as well as students studying art in year 10. There has been research into historical events, letter writing, building, painting, drawing, crafting, donations from the local community and a lot of learning.

“The conversations that each sculpture has evoked with students across the academy has been incredible and it has been lovely to see the impact they were having before they even left the classroom.”

"We would like to say a special thank you to Hollie in year 13. Hollie took on a lot of responsibility for this year’s project, including supporting the running of the art club, decorating one of the sculptures with the support of Tilly, Poppy and Taya, and remaining behind on Friday evening, after school to assist in moving all the models ready for collection.

“Each sculpture has a story behind it and we strongly recommend visiting them at the Hildred's centre alongside Hetty, who is also celebrating her first birthday this weekend.”

They added: “Thank you to the Hildred's Centre for housing the display and to the Skegness Branch of the Royal British Legion for their on-going support, encouragement and the opportunity to be a part of something bigger.”