Ellesmere's meremaids and meremen thriving in wet weather
A Shropshire town is playing hosts to dozens of colourful 'Meremaids and Meremen' in a community art project.
More than 80 brightly-decorated aquatic figures have been put on display in and around Ellesmere town centre for the next two months, thanks to an idea by Sally Poynton, who works as a library assistant in the Our Space building.
Providing template cut-outs, Sally has been encouraging schoolchildren, businesses and community groups to design their own versions of the watery creatures which will form an eye-catching trail of Meremaids and Meremen along Ellesmere’s main streets.
Leaflets featuring a map of the figure-of eight trail, and a quiz, are being made available, with locals and visitors invited to compete in a ‘spot the meremaid’ competition that offers a chance of winning a visit to the Blue Planet Aquarium at Ellesmere Port. The leaflets are available from the library, Mere Motors, Ismay’s, Moolah and Lily the Pink.
The vivid artworks are on show at more than 40 shops and other businesses as well as the town hall, library, churches and medical centre.
The Mayor and Mayoress of Ellesmere, Councillor Paul Goulbourne and his wife, Mary, were due to launch the trail in a ceremony outside the library on Saturday morning, but the event was called off because of bad weather.
However, the trail will remain open until September 6.
“It was very disappointing not to have an official opening,” said Sally. "It was nice weather for mermaids, but not so nice for humans.”
She said the community’s response to the project had been “fantastic.”
“So many people have been keen to get involved and they’ve shown such great enthusiasm, imagination and talent. It’s been a real community effort and I hope it will help to draw more of the people who come to visit the mereside beauty spot to take a look around our lovely town centre and see the wonderful array of food, drink, clothes and other merchandise that our traders have to offer.”
Special signs pointing visitors to the trail have been put up along the mereside and at visitor car parks on the edge of the town.
The project has been sponsored with funding from the Ellesmere Library Readers’ group and the Community Hospital League of Friends. Support has also been given by Guides, Brownies and Scout groups, the Methodist Church, Lakelands Academy, the Craft and Chat Group, Comrades Club and numerous traders.
