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The original maquette takes shape
Photo ©Harveywetdog |
Do you support the
proposal to have a Sculpture of Valegro in Newent Town Centre? This was the
question the Newent Initiative Trust posed in its public consultation
questionnaire to Newent residents and worldwide Valegro enthusiasts alike and
it transpired that over 93% of people responding were in favour of the Sculpture.
With public consultation complete the Trust have been able to brief Newent Town
Council on the positive progress with the campaign.
While fundraising continues
through the sale of prints and donations the Trust remains keen to hear from
serious sponsors and Valegro enthusiasts alike who would like to invest in one
of twelve limited edition maquettes, the original of which is well under way
with chosen artist Georgie Welch.
The campaigns aim remains to have the sculpture
in place in Newent to coincide with the 2020 FEI Dressage and Eventing European
Championships for Young Riders and Juniors at Hartpury University.
Consultation
In order to gain feedback from
the broadest spectrum of people the Trust chose to run both on-line and face to
face consultation. The latter culminated with Trust Chairman Keith Urch being
on hand in Newent Library for two days to answer the publics’ questions and
tell them about the campaign. There were three questions and a request for the
public to provide feedback. The results were as follows:
Do you support the proposal to
have a sculpture of Valegro in Newent Town Centre? 93% in favour.
Do you think the Sculpture will
increase the appeal of the Town Centre? 91%
said yes.
Do you think the Sculpture will
help to boost the economics of the Town? 86%
said yes.
The public consultation provided
the chance for an outpouring of love and respect for Valegro and recognition of
his achievements. “Valegro is the horse of a lifetime and should be honoured
for his success” said one respondent; “having a sculpture of Valegro will
increase popularity in the town and how many people visit” said another. And
while there was a small number of comments opposed to the proposal the
overwhelming majority saw the sculpture as “a wonderful addition to the
town”.
Following the completion of the
consultation the Trust have been able to bring Newent Town Council up to date
with the consultation results and progress with the project in general. The
presentation, led by committee member Jemima Parry-Jones MBE, was well received by
the Council who were interested to hear the plans for design and location and
what the sculpture could do to give Newent “visitor appeal”.
Fund Raising
The vital fund raising continues
with copies of the artist’s design drawings, signed by Carl Hester, Charlotte
Dujardin and Georgie Welch available to buy via the NewentValegroSculpture
website. There are currently six designs to choose from with two more to be
added at a later date. The committee are also looking for significant players,
either in the equestrian world or in the world of Newent, to come forward and
either commission a maquette or provide substantial sponsorship in return for
some form of recognition in the final design.
The maquettes will be
approximately 12 inches high (1/6th life-size) and will be used to
illustrate the design of the half-life sculpture in which Valegro will appear
unmounted, in his tack and performing piaffe. There will be a limited edition
of just 12 maquettes produced in bronze. The maquettes are expected to be a
highly sought after beautiful memento of Valegro’s achievements and would be
purchasers are advised to express interest now in order to avoid disappointment
later.
Progress and Goals
Work on the original maquette is
well underway with Georgie Welch spending many hours studying, measuring and
analysing the Valegro physique on video, in photographs and in his stable to
painstakingly build up the muscle structure of this inspirational horse. Once
the original maquette is complete it will be used to produce the mould for the
twelve commercial maquettes and to provide the design of the final sculpture.
Although the pace of the project
is set by the income from the fund raising the committee have set themselves
the target of having the sculpture in place for 2020 in order to provide a
visitor attraction for Newent to the equestrian audience who will be in the
county for the FEI Dressage and Eventing European Championships for Young
Riders and Juniors which are being held at Hartpury University in the summer of
that year.
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Photographed from every angle
Photo ©Harveywetdog |
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Working on the original maquette with Valegro
Photo ©Harveywetdog |
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