Sculpture Olympics: Celebrating Community, Creativity and Connection

On Saturday 26th July 2025, Kempston Riverside Path came alive with colour, creativity and community spirit as families gathered for the Sculpture Olympics Family Fun Day.

Set beside the River Great Ouse, the event welcomed people of all ages to take part in a series of creative challenges inspired by sculpture, teamwork and imaginative play. From wearable artworks and nature totems to cardboard tower-building and speedy cup stacking, the Sculpture Olympics was all about getting stuck in, trying something new and having fun together.

Winners were celebrated with medals, proudly awarded for flair, collaboration and inventiveness.

Alongside the games, there were drop-in workshops offering a different pace and focus. Toby’s Tall Tales sculpture storytelling sessions sparked children’s imaginations, while The Art Well’s Nature Mandala Eco Art Workshop invited families to create a beautiful community artwork using natural materials. Aerial rig taster sessions with Blue Moon Circus gave young people and adults alike the chance to try something daring, guided by expert instructors. And to round it all out, the sounds of live music from Bruce Carson filled the air, bringing an extra buzz to the riverside.

On the day, visitors also had the chance to view three prototype sculptures – each a unique vision for a future artwork along Kempston’s riverside. These early models invited people to imagine how creativity could take shape in the local landscape, and everyone was encouraged to vote for their favourite design and help decide where it should be located. If you missed the event, there’s still time to have your say – the prototypes are now on display at Kempston Library, where voting will remain open until September 2025.

A Treehouse For You and Me

The Knowledge Garden

A Secret Star

This event is part of the wider River/ Flow/ Connect project – a creative community initiative exploring how public art and natural spaces can come together to reflect local voices and stories.

A huge thank you to everyone who came along, played, created, voted and cheered each other on. Your enthusiasm and generosity made the day unforgettable.

We’re also deeply grateful to the funders who made this possible: the National Lottery Community Fund, the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the Ashley Family Foundation, Bedford Borough Council and our ongoing supporters Arts Council England and The Harpur Trust.

Thank you as well to our local partners and supporters: BMK Waterways, John Bunyan Community Boat and Canoe Trail. We’d like to give a special thanks to Kempston Councillors: Cllr Mohammed Nawaz, Cllr Caroline White, Cllr Sue White, Cllr James Valentine, Cllr Ali Akbor, Cllr Steve Conway and Cllr Teri Conway. Also, many thanks to James Smiles from Kempston Library, Bipin Shah and Beccy Campbell-Grieve from Project 229, and Men in Sheds.

And finally, a heartfelt thanks to our brilliant delivery team, artists and volunteers who made it all happen:

BCA Team: Ami Aubrey, Aguma Isaac, Bex Foskett, Elaine Midgley
Lead Artists: Sam Williams, Paul Pibworth, Janet Reddy
Artists/Performers: Kaye Mahoney, Karl Wustrau, Toby Sharp, Bruce Carson
Assistant Producers: Sadie Hunt, Anne Forgan
All our performers, musicians, stewards and support staff.

If you didn’t get a chance to fill in our feedback form on the day, we’d still love to hear from you. You can share your thoughts online by following the link below.