The Internationally Famous Bergh Apton Sculpture Trail was held over the last two weekends in May  and first in June 2005  in the village of Bergh Apton. 

Here was an opportunity for all local residents to enjoy some of the most exciting and dynamic fresh artistic talent that exists in East Anglia.. but not have to travel miles to enjoy it.

 All were welcomed and thank you to everyone for coming to see our village and our fourth Sculpture Trail. We trust you had a happy and memorable day amongst us.

The Four Bergh Apton Sculpture Trails

• 1997 `......something rich and strange'

• 1999 `Symbiosis'

• 2002 `Kairos'

• 2005 - CAIRN

On view were some of the results of past Trails in our Waymarkers, erected after the first Trail, on Cooke's Road, Church Road and at Bussey Bridge, as shown on the Trail Map, and the sculptures purchased by the owners of the gardens you visit.

WHY CAIRN?

Cairns are universal symbols. They can mark a pathway or show a significant place or moment. They can be made or started by an individual and added to by others. Just as a comma creates a pause in a sentence so they create a pause ^ your Journey when you come across one.

Aims of the Trail

The Sculpture Trail is organised by the Bergh Apton Community Arts Trust ( BACAT) and has six main aims

• To provide an opportunity for the village community to work together.
• To foster latent talent by stimulating artistic, creative and organisational strengths.
• To bring the Arts to a small rural community.
• To provide a showcase giving an opportunity to experience the richness and diversity of the Arts in East Anglia.

• To raise funds for the maintenance of the Church, Village Hall, selected village projects and other charitable projects with Bergh Apton connections.

• To invest in future Arts events in Bergh Apton.

The Village Exhibition

The Village Exhibition at Garden 15 exhibited a wide variety of artistic and craft skills of residents of Bergh Apton. Many were surprised at the range and depth of talent. Most of the exhibits were for sale with a commission going to the Aims of the Trail.

The Music

A variety of live music was performed in the Gardens, the Church and at the Village Hall. From classical to ceilidh, choral to jazz. There was music to beguile, entertain and amuse, as one followed the Trail. A daily musical menu was be posted at the main ticket points.

Many of the sculptures exhibited in our village were for sale and intrigued, interested and inspired, they made a 'cairn' to show the diversity, quality and liveliness of the Arts in East Anglia.

2005 Sculpture Trail - CAIRN -  DISTRIBUTION of £54,418.00

The final act of Bergh Apton’s Sculpture Trail of 2005 was played out at the village hall on Saturday 19th November, on a beautiful sunny day that would have been appreciated by the drenched visitors on the last day of the Trail itself! Maggie Smith, chairman of The Bergh Apton Community Arts Programme (BACAT) presented cheques to fourteen organisations that had been awarded a total of £54,418 that represented the funds generated by the Sculpture Trail after all its costs had been met.

Maggie explained to the many people who attended that the recipients represented all manner of organisations.  Local interests included bulwarks of village life - the parish church, village hall, school and conservation trust.  They included other key village projects ranging from the Baby & Toddler Group to the War Memorial.  As its contribution to the needs of the wider world BACAT had included two Norfolk projects and its long-term African orphans’ project Sanyu Babies Home.  Finally, as recognition of the needs of the world as a whole, it has chosen the greatly-respected and independent emergency-response organisation, Medécins sans Frontiers.

The Distribution List

This is the full schedule of the distribution, and the activities that the representatives of the beneficiaries spoke of as their goals to fund with the BACAT donations:

BACAT - £3,000

To bring the Workshop Fund back up to its core value of £5,000

Church Fabric fund - £10,800

Represented by Rev Dr Peter Knight.  Peter explained that the funds will go to maintain the building and the plans of the Parochial Church Council to provide new facilities in a project that is now underway and that will fulfil the need of the village church to meet the needs of today’s community.

Village Hall - £10,800

Represented by Evie Sayer for the Committee.   To help maintain the building and to enable the Village Hall Management Committee to provide the new facilities that it is now planning as a substantial extension to the existing village hall.

Alpington and Bergh Apton Voluntary-aided School  - £3,000

Represented by the Headmaster, Neil Henery who told the assembled company that the funds will help to give the schoolchildren facilities and materials not provided by the education authorities.

Conservation Trust - £8,800

Represented by Dr Tony Davy, Chairman.  The funds are a very significant boost to the funds required to purchase an addition to the Trust’s conservation lands to the south of the church.  The area, wetlands along the River Chet, are a very important part of the ecological environment of the village as well as an extension to the lands now owned by the Trust in perpetuity for the benefit of the village.

Baby & Toddler Group - £300

Represented by Polly Brompton, a mother in the Group.  To help continue the work of the group.

Bergh Apton Christmas Lunch  - £200

Represented by Kevin Parfitt, Chairman.  To help fund the village Christmas lunch to which a guest-list of more than eighty  “less-than-young” people, and those alone at Christmas, are invited to lunch at the village hall.  The meal is funded and cooked by volunteers and is served by a team of young people from Bergh Apton and its neighbouring villages.

Local History Group - £1,518

Represented by Linda Davy, Chairman.  Linda told of the plans to provide the facilities and equipment of a village archive centre.  They will be helped greatly by the provision of  £1,000.   She also recorded the thanks of BALGH for £518 provided in advance of the Trail that enabled the Group to print an additional section of the Book of Bergh Apton and create this highly successful history of the village.

Youth Club - £3,500 + £500

Represented by Jacqui Hill, Youth Leader.  To help fund the annual costs of maintaining the Youth Leader in her work throughout the eleven parishes of the Bramerton Group (£3,500) Jacqui also accepted a cheque for £500 to fund arts workshops specifically for the Bergh Apton Youth Club.

War Memorial - £2,000

Represented by John Ling for the Parish Council.  To help fund the work of restoring the war memorial by re-cutting its names, cleaning and stabilising its surface, and adding names missing from its Roll of Honour.

Sanyu Babies Home (Kampala) - £2,500

Represented by Christopher Meynell.  Christopher explained that the funds will enable the Home to replace its asbestos roof.  This will enable it to gather and conserve rainwater that runs off the roof

Quidenham Hospice - £2,500

Represented by David Went.  David advised that the funds will help in the continuous need of Quidenham, part of Norfolk Children’s Hospices, to provide both care for children with terminal illness and respite for them and their families.

East Anglian Air Ambulance - £2,500

Represented by Letitia Hilling.  Letitia told the meeting that EAAA provides emergency cover for Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire with their air ambulance and responds to any situation where the nature of the emergency needs someone to be airlifted out for safety and treatment.

Medécins sans Frontiers - £2,500

Represented by Miles Kemplay.   Miles is a project manager for MSF (translated as Doctors without Frontiers) that responds to major international disasters in often politically-sensitive and war-torn areas with medical teams that have no political interests or affiliations.  Miles, who has recently returned from Darfur province in the Sudan, explained that the BACAT funds would provide life-saving supplies to a feeding station for starving children in that area.