Bottle-nosed dolphins are common in the sea around Poole, Bournemouth and along the South West coast. These excellent wooden carvings represent these unique creatures.
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'Wildlife Sculpture Trail and Schools’ Art Project
The cliffs between Pinecliff Gardens and the promenade at Canford Cliffs act as a safe corridor for specialist heathland creatures, such as sand lizards, but the wildlife to be seen in the gardens has recently become a lot more playful.
On Thursday 7th May 2009, Leisure Services unveiled a new wildlife play sculpture trail with the help of pupils from Lilliput First School who named each of them and also planted woodland flowers in the area, including bluebells and daffodils.
The life-like robust structures are carved in wood with smooth surfaces, and include a giant green tiger beetle and a 16 foot long sand lizard.
Bottlenose dolphins may occasionally be seen from our coast, and overlooking Branksome Chine there are a pair of life-size ones.
Wood ants are present in the woodland, and now they are represented along the trail. Wood ants create impressive homes and local construction company, Quantum Homes, made a generous contribution to this sculpture.
We have also installed information panels about the wildlife featured along the trail.
The Art Project
At an event at Branksome Dene Community Room, with the help of local artists Maria Burns and Helen Ward, pupils from St. Edward’s and Parkstone Schools painted individual quarry tiles featuring heathland and woodland scenes based on original designs by Maria.
School pupils helped assemble the tiles at Pinecliff’s sunken garden.
A shelter, overlooking the sunken garden, now features a beautiful sea mural by Maria Burns. Year 8 maths students from St. Edwards school have designed a puzzle, to exercise the brains of young and old, which has been painted on the floor of the shelter.
The notice board behind the shelter displays pictures and poems by school groups visiting the area.
The footpath was constructed with the help of pupils from Ashdown Technology College, Carter Community, Corfe Hills, Parkstone Grammar, St. Edwards and Victoria Education Centre, who designed images to represent the six British reptiles, all of which are found locally. They were then reproduced on coloured block-pavers, donated by Keyline Builders' Merchants.
Pupils from St Edward's School have also built a sea-themed section of footpath to improve access at the Branksome Chine end of the gardens.
Project information: Budget: £60,000; Funding: Planning Obligations (£35,000 Canford Cliffs & £25,000 Penn Hill Wards) plus local sponsorship & donation; Wildlife sculptures by Andrew Frost; Quarry tile and sea mural artwork by Maria Burns; Lead Officer David Price.'