A pioneering group of young people are carving out their legacy in stone.
A new project in Huddersfield, the first one of its kind nationally, is introducing trainees to the fascinating heritage of waymarking – and giving them the chance to leave their mark for future generations to see.
The Beyond Graffiti scheme is sponsored by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Getty Foundation and individual donors, and is run by the Milestone Society which raises awareness of Britain’s waymarkers.
Sixty students will take part in workshops where they will learn about milestones and other waymarkers, visit quarries and even carve their own stones.
The first workshops have already started and are creating stone carvings with motifs which will eventually be placed as waymarkers in Dewsbury Country Park at Ravensthorpe.
Organiser Jan Scrine said: “This is a completely unique project, nobody else is doing anything like it.
“We called it Beyond Graffiti as graffiti is ephemeral, you can wash it off, whereas stone carvings last for generations.
“We have had an amazingly positive reaction from the students, they have even listened to the heritage talks.
“Stone carving is really difficult and they have stuck to it. The project is much more successful than we expected. The young people are very appreciative.”
Most of the young people on the project are already taking part in brickwork or countryside courses at local colleges.
They have visited Johnsons Wellfield Quarries, Crosland Hill, to learn about various types of rock formation and see York flags being hand-made.
There will be an exhibition of their work at Oakwell Hall in Birstall next summer before the stones are placed in the country park.
