AN art project showing the talents of youngsters from the Hanleys has finally been unveiled – two years after the idea was first mooted.

The sculptures by Michael Scheuermann, featuring a bench, two seats and stepping stones, are now an added attraction to the picturesque pond area in Hanley Swan’s village centre.

The £14,000 work was officially unveiled by renowned portrait painter Michael Noakes who can count the Queen and Prince of Wales among his previous subjects.

Completion of the work marks the end of a long battle which has seen a number of meetings, consultation stages and fundraising to get the project off the ground.

“In our village we run the Hanley’s Cafe and Market,” said Joanna Bowles, one of its volunteers.

“The idea is to get people to meet up and make money for local projects and we have a box where people can suggest ideas.

“An art project was something that was suggested and which would give pupils studying art at the secondary school the chance to get involved.” The Cafe and Market helped contribute money towards the scheme.

Pupils from Hanley Castle High School helped design the sculptures, which include depictions of animals and birds including a swan, while youngsters from Hanley Swan Primary School undertook designs for a number of stepping stones nearby featuring the youngsters’ view of life on the village green.

Funding for the work has come from a number of sources including the Arts Council, Elmley Arts Fund, Severn Waste Environmental Fund and Malvern Hills Council.