Big In Falkirk 100ft Kelpies Will Headline Green Transformation (from The Herald )

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Big in Falkirk: 100ft kelpies will headline green transformation

MARTIN WILLIAMS

November 15 2007

It forms part of the nation's industrial heartland and now, thanks to the largest ever award to Scotland from the Big Lottery Fund (BIG), it will be transformed into a £49m eco-park to be completed over the next five years.

The Falkirk and Grangemouth-based Helix project which features 100ft tall horse sculptures which are expected to become a major national landmark, was awarded £25m of funding as part of BIG's Living Landmarks programme.

It signalled the launch of the environmental project to transform the landscape with work now expected to begin as early as next year.

But it was the horse head sculptures which stole the limelight when the lottery award was announced at Falkirk Stadium yesterday.

Weighing several tons, the kelpie heads Helix centrepiece - designed by Glasgow-based sculptor Andy Scott - will be part of a boatlift at the eastern entrance to the Forth and Clyde Canal.

Kelpies are mythical creatures which were said to have haunted the waters of Scotland's lochs but the artist said he was inspired by the role of the heavy horse throughout Scottish history.

It is not just a work of art. The heads have been designed to rock back and forth slowly to displace water from a lock chamber, allowing boats to move to and from Scotland's lowland canal network.

Led by Falkirk Council in partnership with British Waterways and Central Scotland Forest Trust, it is believed the new park will transform the landscape between Falkirk and Grangemouth into a thriving environmental community and a jewel in Scotland's tourism crown.

It will also involve building a new stretch of canal over a mile long to reconnect Scotland's canal network to the Forth at Grangemouth, creating 300 hectares of new green space and woodland, planting 750,000 trees and constructing 21 miles of paths and cycleways. It is also expected to become home to a range of specialist businesses and a new marina.

Simon Rennie, chief executive of the Central Scotland Forest Trust, summed up the feeling about the kelpies, saying: "The kelpies are at the apex of the public arts programme, and I am sure that in years to come they will become one of the iconic images people will remember when they leave Scotland.

"When they think of Scotland they will think of the kelpies amongst many other structures and think what a fantastic country that is."

In making the announcement, Alison Magee, chair of the BIG Scotland committee, said: "I am confident that the project will come to fruition. It will really have a revitalising effect for the area, but also make this somewhere people from outwith Falkirk and Grangemouth will want to come and visit.

"In my personal view I think the kelpies and the rest of the project has the potential to be as iconic as something like the Angel of the North."

Linda Gow, leader of Falkirk Council, was bowled over at the news, saying in front of a group of cheering supporters: "Thank you, thank you 25 million times over. This is going to be one of the most exciting environmental developments in the UK."

The partnership is expected to form a company limited by guarantee and registered as a charity, called the Helix Trust to oversee the project.

There will be a second charity - Helix Futures - a community-led body responsible for the maintenance of the Helix and future operations.

The Helix, which take its name from the distinctive shape of the project site as it spirals down from Langlees to Laurieston and Polmont, is a key project in the 10-year My Future's in Falkirk initiative which aims to transform the area into a more desirable place to work, live and visit.

Facts and figures
The Helix Project will mean:

more than 750,000 trees planted

the creation of five biodiversity nature parks

21 miles of paths and cycle tracks

a one-mile canal link between Grangemouth on the River Forth and Scotland's canal network

two 100ft 'kelpie' horse heads functioning as a boat lift on the Forth and Clyde canal - the largest equine sculptures in the world.