Seven metre aluminium statue stands tall in West Belfast’s Springfield Road

A new seven-meter-tall aluminium sculpture called 'Carry Each Other' has been unveiled on Springfield Road in West Belfast. The local visual artist, Sara Cunningham-Bell, sculpted it for the Forth Meadow Community Greenway project. The sculpture symbolises the strength of the community in Belfast and the importance of supporting each other. It depicts an adult carrying a child on their shoulders, with the child carrying a bird representing the vision and upcoming plans.

Belfast Lord Mayor, Councillor Ryan Murphy, stated that Carry Each Other is the signature piece of the Forth Meadow Community Greenway project, which also saw five smaller pieces of floor art installed along the route of the greenway.

During the project's development phase, the artist engaged with almost 270 primary school children from eight schools, young children from Sure Start and Early Years, community groups from Bog Meadows, and local walking groups. A selection of the children's designs is incorporated into the patterns of the final sculpture and the content of the floor art.

The artist, Sara Cunningham-Bell, said that engaging with the local community, especially young people from neighbouring areas, helped inspire the final sculpture. It is designed so that people can walk through and around it.

The creator and artist, Sara Cunningham-Bell, commented: "Engaging with the local community and, in particular young people from neighbouring areas, helped inspire the final sculpture. It is a large person carrying another person and was designed so that people can walk through it as well as around it. It represents how, if we carry each other through strengths and weaknesses, we are stronger."

The Chief Executive of the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), Gina McIntyre, exclaimed with wonder: "We are delighted to see all of the 'Carry Each Other' art pieces brought to life along the greenway, not least this unmissable seven-metre tall signature sculpture by talented artist Sara Cunningham-Bell."

"The artwork has been developed as part of the £5.1 million PEACE IV Forth Meadow Community Greenway, which connects opens spaces in North and West Belfast and speaks to the sense of, and strength of, community in this city," Gina added.

The Forth Meadow Community Greenway project amounted to £5.1 million and is funded by the EU's PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), the Department for Communities, and the Department for Infrastructure. The PEACE IV element of the project is supported by the Executive Office in Northern Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development in Ireland. The artist believes the sculpture will become an iconic landmark for local people and visitors to the area who come to use the new greenway.