A unique new sculpture trail that celebrates York’s unsung heroes launches this week.
The York Trailblazers project celebrates lesser-known changemakers in York who have made a difference to people’s lives either locally or globally. The sculpture trail launches on Yorkshire Day, Thursday 1 August.
Each sculpture is in the shape of a tansy beetle – which was chosen due to it’s unique connection to the city, as York is one of only two places where this beetle can be found.
Artists, working with community groups, have created the tansy beetle sculptures to honour these special individuals.
There will be 17 sculptures throughout the city, each reflecting a different trailblazer that aims to capture their legacy.
Some of the inspirational people featured in the trail include the 64 Luddites who were tried in the court in York in 1813 for protesting against the introduction of machinery that threatened their jobs, Delma Tomlin MBE who is the founder of the National Centre for Early Music, and York Young Carers.
The featured trailblazers were nominated by members of the public and community groups.
The trail has been designed to be as sustainable as possible, with the materials used being recycled, repurposed or recyclable.
Andrew Morrison, chief executive officer of York Civic Trust said: “The York Trailblazers project has revealed a fantastic range of people from York, many of whom we did not know of before.
“With Make It York, it has been fantastic to collaborate with so many local artists and communities. We hope that this is the first of many such celebrations.”
The York Trailblazers Project is a partnership between York Civic Trust, Make It York and a wide range of community and heritage groups, artists and residents of York and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The trail will launch on Thursday 1 August and run until Monday 30 September 2024.
To find out more about the York Trailblazers, and to download the trail map, visit the project hub page here.
