Children, staff and members of the wider community were excited to welcome Simon Probyn, sculptor, and Dawn Reader, painter, to Trinity Church School for the official opening of their new sculpture.

The sculpture entitled ‘Acceptance’, was created by Simon Probyn, a sculptor from Herefordshire. It was created to represent Trinity, its vision and values and all it stands for. The school’s strapline: ‘Learning, Growing, Believing Together – encourage one another and build each other up’, was the inspiration for the piece. The children were asked to contribute their ideas on what the sculpture should include and Dawn Reader, from Oakhill, created the initial drawings using the children’s ideas as a guide for the design of the sculpture.

The sculpture is made from a series of 10 cogs, all different and all carefully balanced to form an impressive structure which greets you as you enter through the school gates. Colourful steel hands are linked to form a ‘belt’ which turns the cogs. It represents that at Trinity and in wider society we should all work together in harmony and respect and celebrate our differences.

Michelle Parsons, Executive Headteacher, says: “The sculpture is already proving to be a talking point among the children, with each considering their own interpretation of what the structure represents. Their thoughts have included friendship, strength, trust, courage, diversity and the mining tradition of Radstock.”

Alun Williams CEO said: "The children, artist and sculptor have done a tremendous job weaving together our thoughts and vision to represent them in such an impressive and thought-provoking sculpture. It sums up what Trinity Church School and the Midsomer Norton Schools’ Partnership Trust stand for in schools and wider society. We want children to see the sculpture each day and remember we are working together to make modern Britain the best place it can be for everyone. I know from hearing the children talk and sing at the unveiling, our future is bright one."