The Fresh Air Sculpture Show is held biennially with all proceeds going to its charity, the Quenington Sculpture Trust.
Some of the proceeds from Fresh Air 2024 were used as a prize of £1,000 to two primary and two secondary schools for a school art project that would involve all and be durable and give pleasure.
One of the successful secondary schools was Farmor’s School, Fairford and the other was Swindon Academy, who were thrilled to hear that their school had not only won the beneficial monetary prize but also a donation of ten new cameras.
Lucy Abel Smith, the founder of Fresh Air Sculpture and Trustee of Quenington Sculpture Trust said: “The Swindon Academy seemed to have a remarkable team teaching their students. However, the Photographic Department was teaching GCSE and A-Level with just one camera that the tutor had reassembled from old cameras! The Trustees thought this was a terrific effort to teach and encourage, but how could those students possibly compete with other schools in that area that had more and better equipment?”
As a result, one of the Quenington Sculpture Trustees donated a further £2,000 to Swindon Academy that enabled the Photographic Department to buy further cameras and enjoy a visit to a museum, which they had not been able to do for two years.
Jade Nicholson, Head of Art & Photography at Swindon Academy said: “We feel incredibly privileged and deeply grateful to be the recipients of such kindness and generosity. Thank you for believing in the value of arts education and for helping us nurture the creativity and potential of the next generation of Swindon artists.”
The Trustees have not supported the Swindon Academy before, but they sincerely hope that the photographic team will come along and photograph the Fresh Air Sculpture Show in 2026.
Article by Chris Roberts MBE PR
