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'Ay up me duck' trail prepares to take flight

Matt WeigoldDerby
News imageBBC A woman in a brown apron is stood beside a 1.5m high duck statue that has been decoratively painted in a marketplace entrance. The woman has long blonde hair, a pink and black jumper, black leggings and boots. The duck is painted in blue and green swirls with white constellations and stars also painted on. There is a painted image of a man with a child on his shoulders looking through a telescope. The duck is stood on a pallet and white ground sheets. There are bottles of paint beside it. BBC
Lisa Bentley's duck is named 'This view is all it's quacked up to be'

Eight giant decorated ducks are set to appear across Derbyshire's Amber Valley to celebrate a regional greeting, increase town centre footfall and boost civic pride.

Visit Amber Valley is, literally, getting its ducks in a row to launch the Ay Up Me Duck trail in February, which families will be able to explore using a trail map or mobile app.

Artists from the borough and its surrounding areas have been painting their 1.5m tall fibreglass birds ready to be positioned in secret locations in Alfreton, Belper, Heanor and Ripley.

"It's brilliant. It's so good seeing it from when I designed it on paper to actually seeing it come to life," said Derby illustrator Lisa Bentley.

News imageA woman in a brown apron is painting the head of a 1.5m high duck statue that has been decoratively painted in a marketplace entrance. The woman has long blonde hair, a pink and black jumper, black leggings and boots. The duck is painted in blue and green swirls with white constellations and stars also painted on. A man in a camouflage jacket, jeans and holding two shopping bags is looking at the duck from behind the black security rope.
Lisa Bentley's design pays homage to the first Astronomer Royal, Denby's John Flamsteed

Amber Valley Borough Council received 70 artistic submissions which were whittled down to 15 finalists and put to a public vote.

Bentley remembered being told she was one of the eight winning entries.

"I was so thrilled. My kids were excited, shouting 'Mummy's going to paint a giant duck.'"

Her design is entitled 'This view is all it's quacked up to be' combining her fascination with space and a homage to John Flamsteed from Denby, the first Astronomer Royal.

The children's author and illustrator has taken her own children on similar trails around the country and said they bring people to places they would not have ordinarily explored.

"You meet loads of people, everyone's looking for the same thing, you start up conversations - it's lovely to see kids enjoying it as well," she said.

"I absolutely cannot wait. We'll be the first ones there, with the map, trying to find these ducks."

News imageTwo women stand either side of a 1.5m high duck statue that has been decoratively painted in a marketplace entrance. The woman on the left has long blonde hair, a pink and black jumper, black leggings and boots. The duck is painted in blue and green swirls with white constellations and stars also painted on. The woman on the right has long dark curly hair, a long maroon jumper and black striped trousers. The duck is stood on a pallet and white ground sheets.
Tilley Bancroft (right) created the giant ducks from fibreglass in her Burton-upon-Trent workspace, Making Trails

Tilley Bancroft from Making Trails in Burton-upon-Trent has added ducks to a list of giant swans, carousel horses and pickle pots that she has previously created for city trails.

She used a hot knife and rasps to create a polystyrene master sculpture which was then covered in fibreglass to form the eight identical blank canvas ducks.

"It's the artists that really give them that personality and I can't wait to see them in real life," she said as she watched Bentley apply her finishing touches.

Once painted, Bancroft will apply an anti-graffiti varnish to protect the ducks for the 10-week trail, which she expects to bring numerous benefits for the four towns involved.

"Footfall increase, getting people to have civic pride, people talking, community," she said.

"It's also about getting art out of the gallery and onto the streets. It's about really engaging people with creativity in the local area because the vast majority of the artists on this project are local and neighbouring artists.

All eight giant ducks, and additional smaller shop window ducks, will be in place and ready to explore from 14 February.

News imageAn artist's impression of a large duck statue, from a side and front view. This one is decorated with sunflowers and bees on a blue and green background.
News imageAn artist's impression of a large duck statue, from a side and front view. This one includes bright cartoons of a bridge and mill in Belper, a river, a rainbow, a duck, a swan, a kingfisher and a dog.
Amber Sun by Rebecca Grantham, a Derbyshire-based illustrator and designer who creates pieces that feel both joyful and expressive
AyUp Belper! by Carla Dee, who describes herself as a smiler, daydreamer, and doodler from Derby with a mission to make the world a brighter, happier place

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