A PARK-GOER, who sadly passed away, gave a generous donation which has led to the new installation of a sculpture at Carlisle’s Hammond’s Pond.
Sculptures of two swans have been created by Clare Bigger Ltd and are now in place within the water at Hammond’s Pond as a result of Ann Clarke's donation.
Ann became a member of The Friends of Hammond's Pond and alongside the other members and Carlisle City Council decided on how the funding would be used and in addition to the sculpture and a new viewing platform, the money will also be used to purchase a defibrillator for the site.
Sally Ford from the Friends of Hammond’s Pond said: "Ann was a member of the Friends of Hammond’s Pond and came along to meetings where we discussed the history and future of the park and what we would love to be able to see in the park if had we an infinite sum of money. Ann loved to come and walk around the park and enjoyed being a part of our group.
"Ann and her late husband Brian kindly gifted a generous donation to be used within Hammond’s and she was delighted to see the plans coming to fruition.
"As a group we had talked of a sculpture, a walkway, a defibrillator and many other things. When the time came to make final decisions, we discussed this with Ann and within the group, with the support of Carlisle City Council and decided on all three," she said.
Ms Ford said the group was "so pleased" with the outcome and can't thank artist Clare enough for her hard work.
Ann passed away before the final stage was completed, however, she did see the design and sent the group a letter that read: "I am delighted with the swans and think they are a wonderful piece of art whose beauty will be enhanced when they are located in the centre of the pond. One can easily visualise them, the sun glinting off their wings or rising out of the early morning mist; two lifelong mates beginning a new journey together. The artist has imbued them with movement which brings life and a magical, perhaps spiritual quality to them."
The final addition will be a defibrillator which will be positioned at the Café with the hope of some first aid training available to everyone in the very near future.
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