News - Merthyr local heroes - Trevithick, Ashley and McDonald - to be celebrated in steel artwork

8th September 2010

Three local heroes are to be immortalised in a Portrait Bench which will be placed along a new pedestrian and cycle route in Merthyr.

Inventor and engineer Richard Trevithick, will stand alongside designers Laura Ashley and Julien MacDonald OBE to show a snapshot of the history and culture to come from the town.

The Portrait Bench  is a new art initiative from sustainable transport charity - Sustrans - which is already appearing on newly created routes for pedestrians and cyclists across the UK.

The three life-size figures will surround a simple wooden bench and will be cut from a weathering Cor-ten steel so that over time the bench becomes a part of the natural landscape.

The bench will be placed near the new Trevithick bridge along the newly created traffic-free route which runs from the residential areas of Pentrebach and beyond to local supermarkets and workplaces as well as to the centre of Merthyr Tydfil. It also links in to the Taff Trail.

There were 479 suggestions from the community as to who should take the prestigious places on the bench but these leaders in their field were the clear winners.

Julien Macdonald OBE was born in Merthyr in 1971 and attended Cyfarthfa High School. In 2000, he was appointed chief designer at the Paris haute couture house of Givenchy and in 2006, he was awarded an OBE for services to fashion.

Richard Trevithick invented the first full-scale working railway steam locomotive and in 1804 the world's first railway journey took place along the tramway of the local Penydarren ironworks.

Laura Ashley - born Laura Mountney was born in Dowlais and attended Marshalls School before going on to become an international designer and household name.

So far in this project, comedian Rob Brydon, acting legend Richard Burton, paralympian Dame Tanni Grey Thompson, and many historical figures and local people have been chosen to be honoured in these pieces of public art which are now appearing across the UK.

Each bench will be individual to each community with nearly 80 installed across the UK by 2013.

Sustrans is one of the largest commissioners of public art in the UK with over 2000 original artworks along the 12,000 miles of National Cycle Network.

Rachel Lister, Project officer for Sustrans Cymru, said It's great that these local creative heroes have been chosen by this community and really represent how people today feel about their town. Richard, Laura and Julien will give local walkers and cyclists somewhere to take a well earned rest on the route and will take in this lovely landscape.

Councillor Derek Games, Merthyr Tydfil CBC, said As heritage champion, I would like to thank all those who contributed and voted for the three chosen figures.

Merthyr Tydfil can feel rightly proud of Richard Trevithick and the Worlds first steam locomotive and our world renowned designers, Laura Ashley for her fabrics and our young fashion designer Julian Mcdonald who is leading the trend today. I feel very proud of the achievements from these three wonderful people and the high profile they have achieved for the County Borough of Merthyr Tydfil.

Sustrans alongside Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council are funding this £2million walking and cycling scheme. Part of the funding is coming from the Big Lottery Fund which was part of £50million grant awarded to the charity in 2007. It is also one of the new routes being developed as part of the Valleys Cycle Network and will receive additional funding from the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Assembly Government. Sustrans is helping create many new routes, bridges and greenways across the UK so that local communities cam choose to walk and cycle more for short local journeys