Express & Star

Wolves in Wolves: Thirty wolf sculptures to be installed around Wolverhampton

Wolf sculptures that could soon be spotted around Wolverhampton are taking shape in the studio.

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Wolves in Wolves will see 30 fibre-glass wolf sculptures installed around the city and West Park at points of interest, allowing people to explore Wolverhampton's best attractions.

Council leaders have backed the project as a 'great' initiative for the city and hope the sculptures will be able to bring new visitors to parts of Wolverhampton.

And the Kidderminster artists making the sculptures have revealed a glimpse of how they could look with pictures from the studio.

The project has drawn comparisons with The Big Hoot that captured the imagination in Birmingham during 2015, where owl sculptures were located throughout the city.

The Big Hoot sculptures in Birmingham

The art project will be the largest of its kind to take place around Wolverhampton.

Kevin O'Keefe, director of governance, said: "City of Wolverhampton Council are delighted to be able to support Wolves in Wolves project, this is great opportunity to bring together businesses, residents and visitors to create something really exciting and vibrant for the city."

Artists from the city have been invited to submit designs to be featured on the wolf sculptures. School children will also be encouraged to take part in the project by designing artwork for smaller sculptures.

The wolf sculptures will be fixed onto plinths and stand six feet once installed around the city. Each one will form part of a trail looping around the heart of Wolverhampton. They will be made by a Kidderminster firm and the design will be unveiled March. Project organisers Outside Centre, a local Wolverhampton based charity hope to get household names involved in the project.

Among the locations where the sculptures could be located include Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, The Way Youth Zone and the Express & Star. There will also be two in West Park.

The exact locations for each wolf are still being worked on and organisers are continuing to finalise arrangements.

Staff from City of Wolverhampton Council are working with the organisers to help them co-ordinate the project. The project was the brainchild of Mandeep Singh, from Wednesfield, who is a business support officer at Wolverhampton Council – where he has worked for the last two years.

Mandeep submitted his idea to the council's 100:100 project, which aims to improve things, and it was selected to be developed into this event.

Mandeep said: "I'm really excited that my idea from the ideas initiative was chosen, it's been great to work alongside the Outside Centre and all the other partners to make this project a reality. I think it will be really positive for Wolverhampton."

Businesses are being sought to sponsor the sculptures from £1,000 each. Among the businesses who have already signed up as sponsors is Marston's PLC.

The wolf sculptures will not be a permanent fixture across the city and are set to be auctioned to raise cash for charity when the project ends in September. For more details and to find out how you can be part of the project email info@wolvesinwolves.co.uk

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