Music-themed artwork installed in city park

The artwork features lyrics by musician Marty Longstaff (centre) and was created by artist Chris Brammall (right)

A music-themed artwork celebrating a city's shipmaking history has been installed in a park.

The sculpture has been created at Roker Park in Sunderland and features the lyrics to the Lake Poet's song Shipyards.

The song was written by Marty Longstaff as a tribute to his late grandad who worked in the shipyards and it is the theme of Netflix's Sunderland 'Til I Die documentary series.

Mr Longstaff said the lyrics were "deeply rooted in the city" but were not just for people from Sunderland.

"Everybody from the North East, we all come from a post-industrial heritage," he said.

"We used to make things and now we don't, but we can still be proud of what we achieve."

The artwork was commissioned by Sunderland City Council as part of a £1.6m project to upgrade the park.

Marty Longstaff wrote the song about his late grandfather, who worked in the shipyards

The sculpture forms part of a wall that will act as a backdrop to new amphitheatre seating overlooking the park's Grade II-listed bandstand.

Councillor Kevin Johnston, cabinet member for housing, regeneration and business, said the artwork and amphitheatre were a "fantastic addition" to the park.

"The song lyrics chosen are particularly significant as the bandstand was the setting of one of Lake Poet’s first ever performances," he said.

"We’re really looking forward to inviting Marty back to play once the restoration is complete."

A new cafe and Changing Places accessible toilets have also opened and the park's waterfall and boating lake have been restored.

The artwork was fabricated in a workshop in Ulverston by Mr Brammall of CB Arts.

He said he listened to the song while making the piece and used the scale of the lettering to show how the words were intimated in the music.