Broken park tree transformed into dog sculpture
A chainsaw was used to carve the remaining part of the tree trunk
- Published
A tree in a Derbyshire park that was brought down by high winds has been carved into the shape of a dog by a local artist.
Andy Frost, from Wirksworth, uses a chainsaw to create pieces of art from wood and abandoned trees.
He was contacted by Andy Bailey and his wife Dawn, who run a park café, after the tree snapped and blocked the entrance to Chaddesden Park.
Funding for the sculpture came from the Chaddesden East Neighbourhood board on Derby City Council.
Andy Frost has produced sculptures using a chainsaw across Derbyshire
Mr Frost has been a chainsaw sculptor for more than 25 years and is responsible for the sculpture trail at Carsington Water.
He said the dog, which has been named "Chad" after the park, was smaller than some of his usual commissions and was a nod to the area's popularity with dog walkers.
He said: "A lot of my family live around Chaddesden so it's nice to have some of my work on site."
Dawn and Andy Bailey approached their local councillor for funding for the sculpture
Mr and Mrs Bailey, who have been running the park café since August, said they wanted to salvage something from the storm debris.
The idea of a sculpture from the damaged tree was put forward to the council.
Mrs Bailey said: "When we started looking into it, the same name kept coming up and we were really pleased that we managed to get hold of him.
"It's nice to do something special for people, and it looks lovely as you come in, it's really welcoming."
Mr Bailey said a lot of customers had suggested getting some more, so they are considering arranging a fundraising page to pay for more animals to be carved.
Chaddesden East coucillor Jerry Pearce said the neighbourhood board thought it was a "cracking" idea.
"We’ve still got some branches and things that need to be cleared away but that will be distributed around the park to make natural habitats for wildlife," he said.
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