A CEREMONY has been held in Ellesmere to mark the installation of two new sculptures.

The two artworks were installed alongside the Mere to mark Refugee Week in June, with the ceremony being held on Friday, August 14.

The ceremony was the culmination of an 18-month project by the Ellesmere Sculpture Initiative to celebrate the centenary of the Save the Children charity and commemorate its Ellesmere-born founders, Eglantyne Jebb and her sister, Dorothy Buxton.

One of the sculptures, called Refuge, depicts a refugee child finding shelter.

It has been created in oak by artist John Merrill who used his 12-year-old son, Josef as a model for the child.

John, who works from a studio in the Ceiriog Valley near Chirk, also created the popular carved oak sculpture spelling the word Sshhh in a quiet woodland corner further along the sculpture trail around the Mere.

He says his latest work, near the main entrance to Cremorne Gardens, reflects the experience of a lone child displaced by war, famine or climate change, seeking safety, security and shelter.

“The child and the building merge into one,” he said. “In places he disappears into the very structure that protects him, expressing how children in society who need help can sometimes become invisible to the people who can help them.”

A second artwork nearby is an 8ft high abstract sculpture representing the Jebb sisters.

It is designed as a tribute by Nick Eames from Flintshire to the sisters’ work in launching Save the Children 100 years ago.

“Anyone who studies their lives cannot fail to be moved by the humanity and vision of these two determined and remarkable women,” said Nick. “Eglantyne and Dorothy faced huge hostility when they launched the charity.

“But they were able to achieve astonishing things because they stood shoulder to shoulder as sisters.

“This is what I wish to acknowledge in my sculpture – to convey not how they would have looked, but how they felt.”

The two artworks are linked by a winding labyrinth pathway, designed with the help of pupils at seven local schools.

Once completed in the next few weeks, it will symbolise the perilous journeys endured by refugee children fleeing conflict over the past century.

The sculpture group’s artistic co-ordinator, Trudi Graham, added: “We’re delighted that these two impressive sculptures have been completed in time for Refugee Week and I hope that visitors to the Mere will appreciate what we’ve tried to achieve.

“I’m not sure that Eglantyne and Dorothy would want to be remembered in this way, but we felt that as Ellesmere was their birthplace, we should recognise the impact that their pioneering initiative has had in so many countries around the world over the past century, and to show that Ellesmere is very proud of these remarkable women .

“We are very grateful for the financial help and overwhelming support we’ve had from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council England, community organisations, councils, businesses and individuals since we launched our project in November, 2018, with the theme ‘Children Displaced by Conflict.’

“We particularly want to thank all the local schoolchildren who took part in our art workshops and provided inspiration and ideas to help us achieve our goal.

“They’ve been absolutely brilliant.”