A TEAM of artists has been assembled to transform the gateway a large housing and commercial development.

Chrysalis Arts will work with Mulberry Homes Yorkshire to deliver a public art programme this year for Sowerby Gateway, a 925-home development being built on the outskirts of Thirsk.

The £153,000 scheme, supported by Hambleton District Council and Arts Council England, will see the artists exploring the theme of sustainability.

Lead artist Kate Maddison will collaborate with regional artisans and specialist manufacturers to create a feature artwork for the new south roundabout on Topcliffe Road.

A boundary sculpture and a set of carved stones will also be sited on a new grassed area on Topcliffe Road, by the junction with Green Field Lane.

Sculptor Hilary Cartmel will consult with local groups before forming the surface detail of a stainless steel sculpture, while stone carver Michael Disley will invite people to carve designs into Yorkshire sandstone.

The project will also encourage the communities of Sowerby and Thirsk to become involved through a workshop programme coordinated by Rural Arts.

Ms Maddison said: “This is a rare opportunity for local people to present their hopes for the future creatively and to work with professional artists to express local distinctiveness in an enduring way.”

The artists have held workshops with 120 pupils and staff at Thirsk School and in the coming months there will be a community programme with opportunities for local groups and schools to participate in workshops led by artists Andrew Dalton, Helaina Sharpley, and Stef Mitchel.

A free stone carving taster workshop will be held on Saturday, May 9, from 10am to 4pm at Thirsk Garden Centre, Blakey Lane.

For details, visit ruralarts.org/products/sowerby-art or chrysalisarts.org.uk/sowerby-art/