Sculpture plan to guide walkers along Shropshire Way
A new statue has been designed to mark the start and end point of the Shropshire Way long distance walk.
A project to waymark the entire 200-mile route, devised by ramblers in the 1980s, was completed last year by the Shropshire Way Association, to promote the path to walkers and make it easier to follow.
And now a new statue, bearing the Shropshire Way buzzard symbol, has been drawn up as the finishing touch.
Members of the group, which formed in 2016, have applied to Shropshire Council for permission for the sculpture to be constructed next to the Kingsland Bridge in Shrewsbury, where both loops of the walk start and end.
Audrey Menhinick, chairman of the Shropshire Way Association, said: “Having completed the route with a start and end point in Shrewsbury we thought a marker at this point would be appropriate and looked around for ideas.
“I asked my daughter Jo Menhinick, who is a graphic designer, to design a slate slab. The drawings we have submitted are the result. She thought we needed something more dynamic and striking than a slab.
“The design has been much admired and donations have been received to achieve our goal. However we still need to raise more.”
The south route of the walk takes in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and reaches Bishop’s Castle, Clun, Craven Arms, Ludlow, Much Wenlock, Ironbridge and Wellington.
The north route, in contrast, takes walkers past canals and meres, travelling through Wem, Ellesmere and Llanymynech, with an additional arm stretching up to Whitchurch.
Both the north and south sections are divided into stages, each of which can be walked in a day.
The first Shropshire Way walking festival was held in September to celebrate the completion of the waymarking. A second festival is planned for September 19 to 25 this year, dependant on the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
The group is now fundraising for the sculpture, and anyone who would like to donate can get in touch through the association’s website, shropshireway.org.uk
The planning application for the sculpture will be decided by Shropshire Council.
