Fitting artwork to mark county's fight against Covid unveiled

A sculpture, commissioned by Shropshire's Lord Lieutenant, Anna Turner, and created by Bridgnorth-based artist Paul Kennedy, was unveiled to the public at Shrewsbury Abbey on Sunday evening, where it will be permanently based. A copy will go on display in Telford.

The sculpture was commissioned to commemorate the difficult times people in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin have experienced throughout the Covid pandemic. Funded by £16,000 in private donations, it features the fingerprints of the public, many involved in the fight against Covid.

They gathered in Shrewsbury and Telford in March to imprint their prints into the clay before the sculpture was then completed in time for the ceremony.

Mrs Turner said: "I am so delighted that this stunning sculpture has been completed with the assistance and collaboration of so many people.

"I very much enjoyed meeting some of the Covid volunteers while we were imprinting our finger prints into the clay back in March.

"It is very appropriate this sculpture has been created by so many because the pandemic has impacted a lot of people in Shropshire in many different ways."

Mr Kennedy said: "This sculpture is one of the most interesting pieces of art I have worked on. I am very much looking forward to seeing it in situ in Shewsbury Abbey.

"I am particularly pleased how the individual finger prints have been replicated in bronze. I think it is a fitting commemoration of the suffering and hard work which has gone into getting through the pandemic."

Lord Gavin Hamilton, who is a part of the art project, said: "It was not just about one person but numerous people leaving a very personal impression of themselves.

"We had a mixture of quite a few people from different fields lending their impressions to it including from the NHS, and St John Ambulance, and quite a few people who had heard about it from the press so it was quite inclusive."