The 40 uniquely designed ‘BookBenches’ have been decorated by schools in partnership with artists and business.
They have gone on display across Worksop, Retford, Harworth, Tuxford, the Idle Valley and around the Harley Gallery as part of the North Notts Journeys BookBench sculpture trail.
The benches can be found using the map in this week’s Worksop Guardian, from shops and cultural institutions or by downloading a virtual one from the North Notts Journeys website.
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The trail aims to encourage people to explore the local area while celebrating the region’s heritage and showcasing its creative talents and has been organised by North Notts BID in collaboration with Wild in Art.
Chief executive of North Notts BID, Sally Gillborn, said: “After 18 months of planning, we are tremendously excited that the ‘BookBench’ trail has finally launched.
"We're really looking forward to seeing people explore the sculptures with their friends and family – uncovering parts of North Nottinghamshire that they may have never seen before and helping to drive footfall back towards the town centres to support local businesses after a difficult year.”
The trail starts today and will run for eight weeks. It features a selection of designs that celebrate the area’s rich literary history, promoting a love of reading and coinciding with the return of the North Notts Lit Fest in September.
Several of the ‘BookBench’ designs are also inspired by the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower crossing, telling the story of its significance within the region, and more modern journeys that include a heart-warming tribute to NHS key workers.
Sally added: “The trail is an incredible tribute to the local community – both past and present – so we hope that people enjoy visiting it as much as we have enjoyed putting the project together.
"As part of the initiative, we’re also encouraging people to share their experiences of the ‘BookBenches’ by posting pictures on social media with the hashtag #NorthNottsJourneys, so we can see first-hand how much fun people are having while following the trail.”
When the trail comes to an end, the ‘BookBenches’ will be returned to schools.