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Peter
Pan flies to new home
THE BOY who never grew up is returning home to Sefton Park.
Liverpool's Peter Pan statue will be moved back to its original home
after undergoing restoration work costing £43,000.
The bronze figure had been vandalised a number of times with the
heads of animal figures cut off and stolen and graffiti daubed all
over it. Now, the statue has been fully restored and Peter is
back to his former glory, along with the variety of animals and
fairies which adorn the piece.
Liverpool city council's executive member for green issues,
Councillor Warren Bradley, said:- "Peter Pan has always been a
fantastic attraction in Sefton Park and now it's been restored I'm
sure it will be a popular feature once again. The statue was
originally given to the city as a gift to Liverpool's children and
I'm delighted that a new generation of youngsters will be able to
visit Peter. It is important that we do all we can to make
sure that vandals will not be able to de-face the figure again.
Peter Pan will be placed alongside the Palm House in a secure area
of the park."
The figure will return to the park as part of a special ceremony on
Thursday 1 December.
The bronze statue, the work of sculptor George Frampton, was donated
to the city by George Audley. It is an exact replica of the famous
Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens, London. When it was
unveiled in Liverpool on 16 June 1928, a crowd of thousands attended
the unveiling.
Liverpool's Head of Sculpture Conservation, Sam Sportun, said:-
"When Peter Pan came to us more than 2 years ago, the figure had
been vandalised by graffiti and some of the bronze sections had been
stolen. Using the latest 3D digital scanning technology, we
restored the piece with a lot of support from local people who are
keen to get Peter back into the Park. We know how much the
statue means to Liverpudlians and it's great the statue is now
returning home and looking as good as it did in 1928."
The piece shows Peter Pan holding triple pipes, standing on a tree
trunk, surrounded by animals including mice, rabbits, squirrels and
frogs.
In addition to the Liverpool and London statues, there are replicas
of Peter Pan in Brussels, Newfoundland, Toronto, New Jersey and
Perth (Western Australia).
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Foresters bring the woods alive in the classroom
TEXTBOOKS and computers will be put to one side this month when
local foresters take over lessons in some schools in the North West
of England to celebrate National Tree Week.
Instead of traditional lessons, storytelling and woodcrafts will be
on the timetable for more than 2000 pupils in the week beginning 23
November 2005. In the special one-hour lessons, children will
learn practical skills such as wood chiselling, watch falconry
displays and find out more about the nature on their doorstep.
“We want to bring education alive. The idea is to bring the woods to them
and use it to teach them valuable lessons. It’s all part of our
broader effort to get the community enthused by and involved in the
forests.” explained Forestry
Commission ranger Dave Baxter, who helps look after the new
community woodlands.
A collage artist, a woodland expert and a woodland bodger; who will
show the children how to make different items from wood, will be on
hand to inspire and educate the pupils.
Pupils from more than 30 schools will be taking part. They include
schools from Bolton, St Helens, Wigan, Leigh, Sefton and Maghull.
Janet Seddon is headmistress of one of the host schools, Higher
Folds Primary School in Leigh. She says:- "We are really
looking forward to it. It's a great opportunity for the children to
learn more about the environment and to appreciate the beauty of
nature.
The children have recently planted a garden at the
school and it's wonderful for them to see the end products of their
work as the flowers grow.
It's also a good lesson in co-operation
and we're delighted that other pupils will be joining us at our
lovely new school for the day."
The Forestry Commission has also designed special education packs
for teachers who want to further use the woods to expand their
pupils’ learning. The packs include 8 lessons across the
national curriculum Key Stages 1 and 2 for infants and juniors
including English, Art, Geography, Science and Music. They are
designed to be taught in the woods and Forestry Commission staff
will be on hand to guide teachers and pupils through the lessons.
“Instead of just talking about nature, children will be able
to experience it for themselves and really take in the sights and
sounds.
I’m hoping it will inspire and
motivate them to want to learn more.” said Dave.
Teachers who want more information on the education packs can
contact Dave Baxter at the Forestry Commission on 01606 882167.
National Tree Week is the Tree Council’s festival to mark the start
of the tree planting season. It’s a nationwide celebration of trees
and woods with a host of events taking place across the country
including walks, talks, songs, storytelling and tree dressing. |
