From care services to countryside: the 11 artists leaving a permanent mark on the Shropshire Hills
Eleven artists supported by My Options Telford & Wrekin have created a series of unique ceramic viewpoint signs now permanently installed across the Shropshire Hills landscape, celebrating accessibility, creativity and the great outdoors.
Telford & Wrekin Council is proud to announce the completion of a landmark creative project that has seen residents with care needs design and make ceramic signs now displayed at accessible viewpoints across the Shropshire Hills. The project forms part of the Open Horizons initiative, funded by Defra’s Access for All capital programme and delivered by the Shropshire Hills National Landscape team with Shropshire Council as key delivery partner. The artistic elements of the project were led by local artist Roz Donati of Pneuma Affinity CIC, who has been instrumental in bringing the creative vision to life, working closely with My Options Telford & Wrekin service users throughout.
Alongside the ceramic signs project, service users have taken part in workshops, guided nature walks and a range of outdoor activities, helping to open up the Shropshire Hills to people who may not previously have had the opportunity or confidence to explore it. This wider programme of engagement has been central to the ethos of Open Horizons: that the natural landscape should be welcoming and accessible to everyone.
Each artist created a handmade ceramic sign representing a Shropshire Hills viewpoint. These signs are now permanently installed within the landscape, forming a lasting, accessible public artwork trail. The eleven artists involved in this most recent project are:
· Emily
· Oliver
· David
· Luke
· Stephen
· Jack
· Jasmine
· Fraser
· Ellie
· Kaif
· Abbie
The signs, along with artist photographs and personal statements, can be viewed online at: www.shropshiresgreatoutdoors.co.uk/accessible-viewpoints/. Visitors to the site should select each location and scroll down past the access information to find the plaque photographs and artist profiles.
Councillor Paul Watling, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Indepenent Living, said: “As a Council, we are committed to ensuring everyone has the chance to enjoy the incredible natural environment on our doorstep.
“We started working with local artist Roz and Shropshire Hills National Landscape Team to support greater encouragement and accessibility for people to visit and use the Shropshire Hills, and the results have been truly wonderful.
“Last year we held workshops and visits to Shropshire Hills for nature walks, helping our My Options participants to discover and connect with the area. To now see their art permanently on the landscape is an incredible achievement – I am immensely proud of every single artist involved, and of the brilliant support provided by Roz throughout.”
Roz Donati, artist and Founder of Pneuma Affinity CIC, said: “This project has been about far more than creating artwork.
“By visiting the sites together and spending time in the landscape, the artists were able to connect deeply with place and express that creatively.
“Seeing the artists’ work permanently installed in the Shropshire Hills is incredibly powerful and shows what’s possible when accessibility, creativity and collaboration are embedded from the start.”
The public is warmly encouraged to visit the Shropshire Hills and explore the accessible viewpoints for themselves.