‘SACRIFICE’ ENTERED FOR REGIONAL HERITAGE AWARD

Andy Mayer’s sculpture  memorial ‘Sacrifice’ is one of thirteen entries for the Regional Heritage Awards.

Organised by Museum Development East Midlands, ‘Sacrifice’ is one of thirteen initiatives under the ‘Heart of the Community’ Award. The awards acknowledge the breadth of community work across the region.

Designed by Belper artist Andy Mayers, ‘Sacrifice’ began life as a backdrop to ‘The Fourteen’, a theatrical and musical commemoration of the first day of the Battle of the Somme when fourteen men from Belper died.

Such was the response that the Belper In Wartime group began fundraising in order that a permanent version could be installed in Belper’s War Memorial Gardens. With the support of thousands of individuals and various organisations ‘Sacrifice’ was finally unveiled on 30 June 2019. Manufactured by Briton Fabricators, the sculpture features the face of Jim Green, one of the fourteen men who perished.

Since the unveiling visitors have showered ‘Sacrifice’ with praise. It has attracted people from Japan, China, South Korea, North America, the Philippines, Thailand and France.

As a professional artist and designer, Andy Mayers works in a variety of media; traditional drawing and painting as well as utilising digital techniques. His current work includes portraits and local views illustrating Derbyshire’s industrial heritage. Andy’s working styles and ideas are constantly evolving and he enjoys experimenting and developing techniques to add fresh perspectives to his work.

The Regional Heritage Awards will be held at the Palace Theatre, Newark on 24 September. The judges are Dr. Abi Hunt (University of Lincoln), Chris Keady (Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust) and Kath Hanson (Nottingham Trent University).