Women travel from US to help build Blitz landmark

Deb Peretz and Debby Cuneo have been friends since college

Two women have travelled from the US to help build a temporary landmark out of cardboard boxes, as the city marks the 85th anniversary of the World War Two Blitz.

Deb Peretz, from Pennsylvania, and Debby Cuneo, from New Jersey, who have been friends for more than 40 years since they went to college, are fans of the artist behind the project, Olivier Grossetête.

The work is inspired by the ruins of the old Coventry Cathedral, built between the late 14th and 15th centuries, which stands alongside the newer 1950s building.

The old cathedral was destroyed during the 14 November 1940 bombing raid which killed 550 people.

Ms Peretz said she researched the Blitz before taking part and looked at photographs of Coventry, but said: "We're going to walk around town and hopefully learn much more."

She said the two friends explored inside the new cathedral and the neighbouring ruins as soon as they arrived, before turning up to start work on creating the cardboard structure, adding: "The ruins are beautiful."

Her husband restored historic buildings and she had sent him images with "many more photos to be taken", she said.

Hundreds of people are helping to create parts before the work is assembled

Ms Cuneo said the arts project was about "community".

She said: "It's the community spirit, getting people together, the kids who worked here before, where they can look at it when it's finished, and go 'I helped do that', and that's what art should be about."

Les Fawcett helped to make an arched window

Coventry resident Les Fawcett, who helped to build an arched window, also said it was about fun and entertainment and meeting people, adding: "We're not building the cathedral, which would be the obvious target"

He said: "I'm not quite sure what building this is going to resemble. It seems to be a one-off, any kind of medieval building – turrets, pointed windows, castellations, all those kinds of familiar details."

Jean-Marie Bergey has shown a plan of the structure being created

Jean-Marie Bergey, technical director, said hundreds of people were helping to create parts of the structure in advance, but "everybody in the street" could take part in the actual construction in Broadgate.

"At the end, the building will be more than one tonne, so we need a lot of people," he said.

Workshops have been taking place ahead of the building being constructed on Saturday.

The work has been inspired by the ruins of Coventry's old cathedral