News: The Tale of Robin Hood and the College Carpenters

Carpentry students are playing a very important part in the up and coming Hoodwinked sculpture trail, led by Nottingham City Council in partnership with Wild in Art.

The trail is a twist on the tale of Robin Hood, with our legendary outlaw transformed into a robin. Each sculpture will be an identical shape but painted individually by artists to create a unique and colourful trail. It will run in Nottingham from 7 July to 30 September, with around 30 sculptures to discover.

In order to display the robin sculptures, the City Council called upon the skills of 30 Carpentry trainees. The students, who are studying at the College’s Basford Hall campus, are constructing 33 smart wooden plinths for the sculptures to perch upon as they take pride of place at a farewell weekend and gala fundraising event, at Nottingham Trent University, after this summer’s trail is over.

Course leader Dean Howitt says: “The opportunity for the students to get involved in Hoodwinked has been great. Our students have had the chance to benefit from new experiences and learn new skills. Constructing the wooden plinth has needed lots of machinery and power tools, not just basic hand tools. Working out the measurements for the project required excellent maths to ensure accuracy, too.

“It’s really important for the students to work on a real-life project, so they can see their work and say: ‘I did that!’”

The students have enjoyed taking part. Reece Birchmore, 19, says: “I love anything to do with carpentry and this was a great project to work on. The first plinth took around a week to construct.”

Marcell Loscalzo, also 19, says: “I like a new challenge so I grabbed this opportunity with both hands. It’s been brilliant putting into practice all the skills that I learned on Levels 1 and 2 of the Carpentry course at Nottingham College.”

Councillor Dave Trimble, Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Localities, says: “It’s brilliant to see the students getting so much out of their involvement in the Hoodwinked project. We appreciate their hard work and commitment to making such high-quality plinths for the farewell weekend and auction. I’m sure they will help set the scene for some excellent fundraising opportunities for Nottinghamshire Hospice, the Hoodwinked charity partner.”

Wild in Art is a leading creative producer of spectacular free public art events in the UK and beyond, through the creation of uniquely-painted sculptures.

For further information, please visit the website at: www.hoodwinked2018.co.uk