On Wednesday 7 November, a new sculpture was unveiled at Heathfield Recreation Ground in Twickenham to raise awareness for dementia. 

The Mayor of the London Borough of Richmond Cllr Ben Khosa performed the cutting of the ribbon of the giant-sized chair sculpture at the opening ceremony and expressed his pleasure in unveiling this meaningful new meeting place.

In cooperation with Let’s Go Outside & Learn, the Alzheimer’s Society Richmond asked Richmond upon Thames College’s (RuTC) Art and Design students to design a piece of work as focal point for the dementia-friendly park. After much consideration, the winning design by Aleksandra Piechocinska, who studied Level 2 Art and Design at RuTC, was chosen. The design of a Chesterfield armchair stood out amongst many others as it represents home comforts and peace. Her idea has now come to life as an interactive sculpture that has been made in weathered steel by a local company. The chair completes the park’s sensory trail, which encourages visitors to explore nature with every sense.

Hilary Dodd, Services Manager for Alzheimer’s Society Richmond, said: “Richmond Council has been doing great work to make their parks more accessible for the 2,100 people with dementia in Richmond. The winning design by a Richmond upon Thames College student is a great addition to Heathfield Recreation Park which helps to improve the physical and mental health of visitors, especially those affected by dementia.”

Toby Rye, Art and Design Teacher at RuTC, said: “It was excellent to see, and be part of, the culmination of so many people’s hard work. Aleksandra’s design has been constructed so well and will be a testament to her creativity for years to come.”

All content and images provided courtesy of Richmond upon Thames College.

About Richmond upon Thames College

Richmond upon Thames College (RuTC) is a General Further Education College situated on a single site in Egerton Road, Twickenham and was established as the first tertiary college in the South East of England in 1977. Today the college has approximately 2,000 full-time students aged 16-18 years old and offers these students a wide range of courses and subjects. It also offers a range of adult courses, many leading to professional qualifications and a number of higher education courses.