Meet The Town Crier - The News lion for this summer's Pride of Portsmouth centenary art trail
Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! The News’ lion for this summer’s Pride of Portsmouth centenary art trail is taking shape - and you could be a part of it.
As the showpiece of the ongoing Portsmouth100 festivities more than 40 sculptured lions will take pride of place in streets, parks and open spaces for eight weeks - from July 13 to September 13 - providing fun, fascinating and free entertainment across the city for locals and visitors alike.
Following a competition for artists to design the lions, The News - as media partners for the trail - has been paired up with Andrea Martin. A former artist for The News and a graduate of the University of Portsmouth, Andrea creates vibrant artworks and sculptures inspired by nature - and so was keen to be involved with the Pride of Portsmouth trail, being run by the city council in partnership with Wild in Art.
Her lion is called The Town Crier.
‘My experience working at The News inspired me to create a tabloid-style design for the lion, blending my background in graphic design and illustration,’ she said.
‘The lion will have key headlines from the past 100 years, each one representing a significant moment in the city’s history. I decided to name it The Town Crier because in the days before newspapers and social media this is how people got their news. And The News continues that tradition today, as it has for the last 100 years of Portsmouth being a city.’
The News and Andrea are now looking for one final headline to add to the sculpture - a special date and memory from one of our thousands of readers.
Editor in chief Mark Waldron said: ‘We take enormous pride in covering everything that matters to our great city, a commitment we have had since 1877. Through all the momentous events we have reported on we would not be anything without our loyal readers - and so we are looking for one of them to be part of our Town Crier headlines.
‘What is the most significant date for you over the past 100 years? It could be the day you were born, your wedding, the birth of a child or any other special family celebration. It could be an event you attended or any other special happening which remains important to your life.’
For your chance to feature on The Town Crier, tell us what your special date from the last 100 years is and why it means so much to you by emailing [email protected].