HCA - Official unveiling of Fryston Village sculpture

31 Aug 2010 10:23 AM A specially commissioned sculpture “Fryston above and below ground” will be unveiled to mark the completion of reclamation work to the former Fryston Wheldale Colliery.

Sir Geoffrey Lofthouse and Cllr Denise Jeffery will unveil the sculpture at a ceremony in the village at 12pm on Saturday 4th September.

This special occasion marks the end of seven years planning and three years work on the two former colliery sites which have been transformed into a country open-space destination - Fryston Country Trails.

The new green recreational space offers a landscape of 40,000 trees and over 8km of footpaths which allow easy access to all parts of the site including the revamped Fryston Basin; a facility that is set to be used by local water-sport groups and organisations such as the Sea Cadets.

The project was undertaken as a partnership between Wakefield Council, Yorkshire Forward and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). The main site works were carried out by Birse Civils Ltd with the Castleford Heritage Trust facilitating the community engagement.

Cllr Denise Jeffery, Wakefield Council’s cabinet member for regeneration, said "This has been a fantastic project. Considerable improvements can now be seen to the surrounding countryside. Positive changes have also been made  in the village, including upgrading and adopting the highways, constructing a new gas supply, and extension of the children’s play park. This has all led to the transformation of this area and it can now be enjoyed by local residents and visitors."

Richard Panter, area manager at the HCA said "This statue, depicting life in the village, is an important final part of the restoration of the sites of the Fryston and Wheldale Collieries.  This project, funded as part of the Homes and Communities Agency’s National Coalfields Programme, has transformed over 90 hectares of contaminated land into this fantastic community asset, and resulted in major improvements for the village."

The sculpture by Harry Malkin is to be a permanent feature in the village and is modelled on two photographs from the Jack Hulme Collection, a series of images captured by the celebrated photographer, himself a lifelong resident of the village. The images themselves show scenes representing social life in the village and working life in Fryston Colliery.

For further information please contact  Andy Golding  on 01924 3035995 or  agolding@wakefield.gov.uk

For more information about the programme contact  Tom Hustler, regional communications manager for the HCA. 0113 394 9355 / tom.hustler@hca.gsx.gov.uk

Notes to Editors

The HCA’s (formerly English Partnerships’) National Coalfields Programme (NCP) is a £386.5m (net) regeneration programme set up to breathe new life into coalfield communities across England following the widespread pit closures of the 1980s and 1990s.  Working in partnership with Regional Development Agencies, Local Authorities, the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, the Alliance (formerly the Coalfields Communities Campaign), the private sector and a range of other stakeholders, the NCP provides investment in former colliery sites across England for the creation of new employment, homes, leisure facilities and public space. 

The programme encompasses 107 sites from an original 57 identified in 1996.  £457m public sector investment to date (as of December 2009) has levered in £935m private sector investment and resulted in over 2250 hectares of brownfield land brought back into use, created over 17,800 jobs, over 1 million sqm of employment floorspace and over 2,500 new homes.