Children and young people from 12 Rotherham schools have begun work on an ambitious giant sculpture that will stand proudly in Kimberworth, creating a permanent legacy of Rotherham’s year as the world’s first Children’s Capital of Culture.
The project is a partnership between Wingfield and Winterhill Learning Community Schools Partnership, Children’s Capital of Culture and local sculptor Jason Turpin-Thomson. Working alongside the artist, children will help design and create a large-scale public artwork that reflects their ideas, hopes and ambitions for the future. Once complete, the sculpture will become a permanent feature within the community, with completion expected in December 2026.
The schools involved in the project are: Redscope Primary, Winterhill, Thornhill Primary, Blackburn Primary, Greasbrough Primary, Wingfield Academy, Abbey Special School, Roughwood Primary, Kimberworth Primary, Rockingham Primary, Meadowview Primary, and Thorpe Hesley Primary.
Alison Bradbury, Headteacher at Redscope Primary School and Lead for the Wingfield and Winterhill Learning Community Partnership, said:
“We want to create a local landmark so that children are proud of where they come from and inspired by their hometown becoming the world’s first Children’s Capital of Culture in 2025. This sculpture will represent the hopes and ambitions of our students, and I can’t wait to see their ideas brought to life in such a visible and lasting way.”
Dr Becky Parry from Children’s Capital of Culture, added:
“One of the most important parts of Children’s Capital of Culture is ensuring that what children created during the year continues to shape Rotherham long after 2025. This sculpture is a powerful example of that legacy – a permanent, public artwork led by children, rooted in place, and visible every day. It shows that children’s voices matter, that their creativity belongs in our shared spaces, and that cultural investment in young people leaves a mark that lasts for generations.”
Artist Jason Turpin-Thomson said:
“The intention is to site the sculpture on Upper Wortley Road so that people driving into Rotherham are immediately met with a bold symbol of the area’s rich cultural life. This piece will stand as a landmark for decades to come, celebrating creativity, community and the role of children in shaping the future.”
The collaboration will also commemorate the life of Steve Rhodes, the much-loved Headteacher of Winterhill, who sadly died last year. Alison Bradbury added: “Steve was deeply passionate about enhancing the lives of children in the community, and this project reflects that commitment. It is fitting that his legacy will live on through something created by children, for the community he cared so much about.”
To help make this ambitious legacy project possible, the Wingfield and Winterhill Learning Community Partnership is seeking donations to support the creation and installation of the sculpture. Every contribution helps ensure children’s ideas are realised at scale and preserved for future generations. Those wishing to donate or find out more about supporting the project can visit i.paidit.io/to/redscope-primary-school/WWLCPScupltureFundraising
For further information or images, please contact CCoC’s PR team – hello@contentsoup.co.uk / 07971 598904.
