A project to create innovative sculptures in and around Inverbervie has been successfully granted thousands of pounds.
The Brighter Bervie volunteer group was set up just over a year ago by residents in an effort to breathe new life into the seaside town with gardens and flowers.
Now the group has been awarded £9,500 and is seeking to expand their efforts from horticulture to art by enlisting artists to create sculptures inspired by Inverbervie’s rich heritage.
Tom Campbell, a retired sub-sea engineer, has taken on the role of chairman of Brighter Bervie.
He said: “We’ve tapped into funding from Aberdeenshire Council for public art and now we’ve been allocated £9,500 which we are putting towards this new art project.
“What we are aiming to do is spend the money on creating a sculpture at the beach amenity area. We’re also hoping to get sculptures at the main roads into and out of Inverbervie, but that’s more of a stretch target for the remaining cash from the first sculpture.”
“We’ve spent the best part of a year to get this project going and get this grant awarded, so now we’re looking for artists, or a team of artists to finally create a sculpture.”
The Brighter Bervie group has launched an appeal to Creative Scotland seeking artists to help their cause.
Mr Campbell said: “So far there have been four responses, so it’s looking promising. We’re looking to have the selected artist spend at least a week in residence at Bervie to meet everyone that lives here, the school and other groups to really soak up the atmosphere.
“The final sculpture will focus on the heritage of Inverbervie, but it’s not going to be like a graveyard tombstone, it’s going to have some humour to it and make people smile whenever they see it.
“Because the sea front area is already host to recycling bins, we felt it was appropriate to pick on the theme with the sculpture being made from recyclable materials too.
“Our mission is to generate pride and make residents interested in bettering Inverbervie, and create a real sense of community spirit.”
The project is seeking to install the final sculpture on the Inverbervie beach front by June 2015.
