Heart of Stoke-on-Trent Sculpture Unveiled at Trentham Shopping Village

The sculpture was created in collaboration with IAE and Strathmore College.

Trentham Shopping Village is proud to announce the unveiling of the ‘Heart of Stoke-on-Trent’ sculpture on Thursday 10th October. This inspiring artwork, crafted with passion and dedication, symbolises the rich heritage and vibrant growth of the six towns of Stoke-on-Trent, while celebrating the themes of love and unity within the community.

The sculpture is the result of a collaborative effort, designed by students at Strathmore Collage and brought to life by the talented apprentices at IAE. Trentham Shopping Village has been chosen as the permanent home for this stunning tribute to the heart and spirit of Stoke-on-Trent.

Here are a few words from Strathmore College about getting the opportunity to design to sculpture. :

“Strathmore College is well-established in our community, shaping the lives of young people and giving them the tools they need to succeed. Our goal is to provide our students with the confidence, belief, and sense of belonging they need to thrive. We want to empower them to become independent, proud members of our local community as they transition into adulthood.

Recently, our students had the amazing opportunity to work on a project to design a new sculpture for Trentham Gardens. The goal was to honour the roots and growth of the six towns and showcase the love and unity within Stoke on Trent.

Students Natasha and Saul, along with Strathmore’s art tutor Roberta, worked hard to bring their vision to life. They designed and drew the concept for the sculpture and then collaborated with the apprentices of IAE to turn their ideas into a stunning 3D model. It was an incredible experience that allowed our students to showcase their creativity and talent.”

Here are a few words from IAE about the project coming to life.

“At IAE, we were extremely pleased when Strathmore College approached us regarding a collaboration for the Heart of Stoke sculpture they had designed.

Having received the concept from Roberta, Design Engineer Apprentice Kyle began work on turning their 2D drawing into a 3D visual for all to see, we also produce a scale model before apprentices Ben, Jake, Cain, Lewis, Harry and Frankie fabricated the different steel components required to bring The Heart of Stoke sculpture to life. Some of this work involved laser cutting the intricate pieces which you see in the centre of the sculpture, forming the names of the towns within Stoke-on-Trent.

It was then down to two further apprentices, Joe and Alex to work with technical drawings and weld all of the components together. All of this has been done under the supervision of Phil Brown , our Learning and Development Workshop Instructor, who said: ‘It has been a pleasure to work alongside the 2023 intake of IAE apprentices and students at Strathmore College, to move this project from an initial thoughts and ideas to a completed sculpture, which is now installed in  Trentham Gardens. Everyone involved should be extremely proud of their achievements’.

The collaboration with Strathmore college gave our apprentices at IAE the opportunity to test the skills they have learnt in the early stages of their apprenticeship during their time in our Apprenticeship Development Centre (ADC). The ADC is an on-site training facility dedicated to enhancing the knowledge and skills of our apprentices and covers everything from understanding technical drawings, right through to operating machines and learning how to MIG Weld.

Alex, who played a large role in welding the sculpture together said: ‘I really enjoyed my involvement in the project, and whilst my peers and I each contributed only a small part, when it all came together we were very proud of the work we had achieved.

‘The skills I have learnt on my apprenticeship so far were paramount to this project, as I could not have contributed as much as I did without them. I look forward to seeing it in Trentham Gardens.’

We thank Strathmore college for approaching us to collaborate with them on this project, and hope the Heart of Stoke sculpture will stand in the Gardens at Trentham for many years to come and serve as an excellent reminder for the love and unity within Stoke-on-Trent.”

The Heart of Stoke sculpture will stand at Trentham Shopping Village for many years to come, and serve as an excellent reminder for the love and unity within Stoke-on-Trent.