↑ the big hug: the leaps brand new eco-sculpture
@theleapbd
On a once-forgotten strip of land at the junction of Leeds Road and Toller Lane, a quiet revolution is taking root. Where there was once cracked pavement, litter and neglect, saplings now stretch towards the sky, bird boxes dot the trees, and a newly installed oak sculpture rises like a guardian of a new story for Leeds Road. This is The Leap’s eco-sculpture park — where, in September, the final piece arrived, a piece of magnificent sculpture that will literally be seen by 10’s of 1000’s of people every day – The Big Hug will be Bradford’s most viewed public art!
dates
1 October
2025
project info
From the outset, The Leap made one thing clear: as with all their work, this wouldn’t be a project for the community; it would be a project by the community. Over the past two years, more than 400 local residents working with The Leap and sculpture John Mirrell have been directly involved in the creation of this sculpture. In community centres, fields and open workshops, they’ve debated, designed, and built. With the environment at the heart of all his work John was the perfect artist to come onboard. The majority of his work is made from oak, using either wind-blown trees or the curves and knuckles that are otherwise destined to be firewood, salvaged from the timber industry. Oak Trees in their natural form are wonderful; they are already perfect sculptures and an example of one of nature’s true engineering achievements. John is simply recycling that sculpture once it’s been decommissioned, re-interpreting it as an object to stimulate new conversations.
Following his extensive creative consultations the idea for this new piece of public art came from the idea of a wholeness a globe, a safe space and a protected space - the idea of hands protecting but not closed - open and welcoming. The initial brief suggesting an environmental outcome - taking inspiration from nature - looking at roots - the need for the community to put down roots, the idea of family networks and family trees growing into something that is ready to open and flourish a bud or seed that is full of energy and potential.
Children helped craft bat and bird boxes to attract wildlife back to the area. Families planted wildflowers along the verges. Artists worked side by side with volunteers to carve intricate oak sculptures as part of the design process for the sculpture that will stand proudly at the heart of the park, representing renewal and belonging. An independent, volunteer group ‘fiends of sculpture park’ has emerged to make sure the area is free of litter.
As a local volunteer, puts it: “It’s not just a park. It’s a reminder that we matter, that our voices shape this place.”
The project has been funded by Arts Council England, which supported local artist commissions and workshops, Natural England, whose backing enabled a new path to be created, planting of more than 300 shrubs and pollinator-friendly plants, the West Yorkshire Mayor’s Climate Action Fund, embedding environmental justice and climate resilience at the heart of the vision and Better Start Bradford who funded the locally made bird boxes. Crucially, Bradford Council have also helped navigate red-tape and supported the design of the space.
Behind the creativity lies a deeper environmental ambition. The eco-sculpture park is not just about making a neglected patch prettier — it is building ecological resilience in an area historically underserved by green infrastructure. Over 300 shrubs and wildflowers have been planted, boosting biodiversity and attracting pollinators back into the heart of Leeds Road. The schoolchildren’s bird and bat boxes now house new wildlife, turning the site into a microhabitat. Beyond ecology, the new green space improves air quality, and a safe route for children to walk to school and provides a sanctuary for residents seeking respite from the urban pace.
From a roadside plot, a new story is unfolding — one where art, climate action, and community co-creation intertwine. The Leap’s eco-sculpture park isn’t just reshaping the Leeds Road landscape; it’s redefining what regeneration can look like when people are at its heart. A once-overlooked piece of land is becoming a living testament to what’s possible when we invest in people, creativity, and the environment together. This is no longer just a green space in an urban landscape. It is a statement: the future of Bradford can be greener, fairer, and led from the ground up.
