Steel Heron

From The Lancashire Telegraph -

The 10ft (3m) steel structure, which was erected in July 2008, was commissioned by United Utilities and produced by Darwen-based artist Marjan Wouda having taken six months to complete.

Glynn Haworth (Countryside Ranger) said: "There used to be a totem pole standing nearby which had sadly come to the end of its life. It was a landmark so we wanted to replace it with something original. Marjan approached us with an idea for extending a sculpture trail she was doing and I immediately realised this was an ideal opportunity. There is a large colony of herons breeding here so a heron sculpture is very appropriate. It's a fantastic piece of work although I don't know what the other herons will make of it!"

Marjan, 48, who specialises in nature sculptures and has work to her name in places as far afield as London, Hong Kong and the Caribbean, said: "I am pleased with the results. It's nice to have one of my works close to home."

The artist worked in a metal fabricator's workshop for two to three weeks bending and shaping the sculpture out of segments of mild steel bar, which were then welded together, before being galvanised.

Marjan added: "It is the first time I have worked with mild steel but it was an extremely satisfying commission."

We strolled passed the heron on our way to the pub today with some old (long standing, in case they see this) friends for lunch, a Boxing Day tradition that goes back some years. This "stroll" is a 2-3 hour walk across the Pennine Moors (plus the same back afterwards) and some years, although not today, it has been a fairly committing undertaking. This year, it might be seen as a low key practise for the next few days. Tomorrow sees the preparation for an attempt on what must be the longest pub crawl in England.