A NEW artwork which pays tribute to Wombwell’s history has been unveiled at its railway station.
Artist Nikki Whiston was commissioned by Barnsley Council’s South Area Team and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) to produce the colourful creation.
Featuring the distinctive Wombwell ‘unicorn’ emblem and references to the Roly Poly Hill and ‘wishing tree’ at Wombwell Park, it aims to capture the essence of the area’s history.
Clare Archer, from the South Area Team, and SYMCA community rail officer Cathrine Ashworth used ideas gathered from local councillors, community groups and young people to develop the key themes which Nikki creatively translated into a design, which she painted directly onto plyboard the size of large poster.
Mayor of Barnsley Mike Stowe was joined by local councillors, community members and representatives of SYMCA at the unveil last Thursday.
Nikki said: “I was excited to be asked to create a piece of art to be displayed at Wombwell’s station.
“It was a lovely project to work on and feel very proud to have my work displayed for the community to enjoy.”
The new installation, which has been designed to be weather and graffiti-proof, forms part of a community rail initiative to bring more character to South Yorkshire’s stations, to help them become more welcoming.
Her finished painting was photographed, upscaled and printed onto aluminium board ready for mounting onto the wall at Wombwell station.
Cathrine added: “Smaller stations like this one are here to connect and serve the local community.
“It’s their station, so seeing them work together to develop such a creative and uplifting artwork and putting a real Wombwell stamp on the station has been great.
“There is so much potential at this charming station, surrounded by nature, and would be a perfect canvas for a community group to develop.”
