Ian Gill

To commemorate the 75th birthday of the first site, the WWT wanted a sculpture on the A38 Slimbridge roundabout, that people would see as they enter the wetlands.

With funding from Moto in the Community and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the WWT set a competition for school pupils from Slimbridge Primary School to create an idea for a sculpture that symbolised what the Wetlands Centre meant to them. The winning design, submitted by an 11-year-old pupil, incorporated a blend of natural wetland habitats, insects and bird species spotted at Slimbridge.

The sculpture is made from over 3500kg of steel, stands 8m tall and 6m diameter. The sculpture depicts an infinity of lily pads, with a whole range of wildfowl and birds living amongst it, creating its sanctuary. Raising awareness and reminding us how beautiful nature is around us and why we need to protect it.

The galvanizing process was used to make sure 'Nest' was going to last. As the hot dipped process protects steel both internally and externally, it will provide long term protection to the sculpture as well as self-repairing and is environmentally sustainable. 

Photographs © Ian Gill & Amy Alsop