Wimborne spirit is ‘art’ of the community (From Bournemouth Echo)

Wimborne spirit is ‘art’ of the community

7:00pm Tuesday 24th November 2009 in

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AHUGE mural has gone up in Wimborne to cover grey hoardings in the High Street while work goes on to repair buildings damaged in a fire.

Bridport artist Terry Whitworth’s artwork, The Spirit of Wimborne, is 27 metres long, 1.8m high and made up of 13 panels.

The artwork includes images of the food festivals, the town’s Militia, Kingston Lacy and Minster Church, and references to the French and German twin towns.

The work was commissioned by the town’s Chamber of Trade, working in partnership with businesses, and the town and district councils, who contributed to its £3, 500 cost.

Each contributor has been acknowledged in a panel of the artwork nearest to the Tourist Information Centre.

Diann March, vice-chairman of the Chamber of Trade, said: “It’s a fabulous thing for Wimborne.

“I hope it will bring people in to Wimborne to look at it as well as to shop.”

The timescale was geared so the artwork went up before the Christmas lights switch-on, which is due to take place on Saturday.

There will be carols from 3.30pm followed by the switch-on at 4pm – then the Militia firing over the Christmas tree 10 minutes later.

The artwork in the High Street will be on display until June 2010, when work is due to be finished to restore Martin’s newsagent and the Post Office, Saville Travel, Thomas Cook, the Albion public house and the flats.

Following a petition by Wimborne residents anxious to see their post office service reinstated, a temporary portable cabin has now been installed in the King Street car park near the Minster and the travel businesses have also found new homes.

l Waitrose respresentatives told a recent Chamber meeting that further artwork will also go on show around the new Waitrose supermarket site being built on the former cricket green.