TEN new community art installations are being proposed for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole’s coastline.

The projects have been proposed by BCP Council with full funding from the government’s Levelling-Up Fund, aiming to ‘boost civic pride’.

Proposals include artistic benches in Hamworthy Park; a maritime-themed wall of mosaic art in Mudeford; and a series of inspiring quotes in Boscombe, written by members of BEAF’s The Outsiders Project.

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Alongside these, a sculpture themed around Jekyll and Hyde will be put in Westbourne, where Robert Louis Stevenson lived and wrote the world-famous horror story in 1886.

Other areas that will benefit from the project include Poole town, West Cliff, East Cliff and Springbourne, and Burton and Grange.

The council said it will look to engage with diverse and underserved communities in arts and culture, by theming each piece of art on ‘identity’.

Each art intervention will showcase the rich local heritage and community of each site and the local authority hopes they will attract people to overlooked areas of the seafront.

Councillor Andy Martin, portfolio holder for customer, communications and culture, said: “We are fortunate to live in a culturally rich area of great historical significance.

“Each of these art interventions aim to help boost the prosperity and profile of each individual location, strengthening identity and placemaking through providing visitors and communities with a gateway to the past.

“Central to this project will be the visions of our local people and communities, who will play an important role in transforming these art pieces from concept to reality.”

Friends of Hamworthy Park community group, added: “Hamworthy has a rich history and a tight-knit community. It's so exciting that our children will be turning our shared heritage into bench art, and this project will make these benches more than just places to sit; they'll narrate our collective story, making history touchable and fascinating.”

The project will use a range of local and national artists, working alongside communities to create each art piece.

Poole Printmakers, a co-operative of local artists who will be contributing to the art installations, said: “We are delighted to be asked to contribute to this public arts project, which will embrace culture, community and identity, and be delivered by community representatives together with our printmaking group.

“As an open-access arts studio within Poole ‘old town’, with a presence of more than 30 years and values built around access to art and teaching in the local community, we are passionate about face-to-face interaction with the very communities we are supporting.”

The project is fully financed by the Levelling-Up Fund and is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

It is one of the 11 projects which the council was awarded funds for in January 2023.

The scheme launches in February, with community engagements and artist commissions taking place in the spring and summer.