Budding artists from across Wirral are being invited to submit their ideas for decorating one of the Mermaid statues which will be installed in New Brighton next year as part of a new tourist trail.
The application process is now open for schools, youth groups and community-based arts or photographic groups to bid for the opportunity to decorate a statue on the Mermaid Trail.
The decoration for five of the six planned statues on the trail will be provided by this process, with the sixth being done by Barry Canning-Eaton, a sculptor from Wallasey, who won the commission to design and sculpt the six statues.
The Mermaid Trail, which takes its inspiration from the ‘Black Rock Mermaid’, who was said to have appeared to a local sailor in New Brighton in the 18th century, is set to be installed in May 2017 and will see six mermaid statues installed right across the resort.
Cllr Tony Jones, Wirral Council’s Pledge Champion for ‘building a vibrant tourism economy’ and Chair of the New Brighton Coastal Community Team (NBCCT), said: “When we started talking about the idea of the Mermaid Trail we were keen to ensure that the project fully engaged the community and giving local groups the chance to decorate five of the statues is a reflection of that commitment. We can’t wait to see some of the ideas as they come in.”
The five successful design groups will each be credited with a plaque on their statue and they will be guests of honour when the trail is officially launched.
There are a number of guidelines and rules that bidding groups need to read before submitting their ideas and these – along with the application form – can be found online at www.wirralview.com/mermaidtrail.
The closing date for applications is Monday 9th January 2017 and from there the New Brighton Coastal Community Team will review applications and select the successful designs by Monday 16th January 2017. All groups will be notified of the outcome shortly after this date.
The Mermaid Trail project is the result of a successful bid for funding by New Brighton Coastal Community Team to the Burbo Bank Extension Community Fund, a grant scheme set up by DONG Energy to benefit voluntary groups and organisations located near to the coastline where it is carrying out the extension to the offshore wind farm.