Alana Fensom, 17, is set to paint a stunning sculpture for the Octopus Ahoy! public art trail, which marks the Mayflower 400™ and 150 years of Clacton.

Up and coming Harwich artist, Alana Fensom, has been selected by Galloper Wind Farm Ltd to paint the Octopus Ahoy! sculpture it is sponsoring as part of the 2021 public art trail. Alana, 17, was among hundreds of artists who submitted designs to be part of the trail. Her submission, entitled ‘Octavious’, was a stand out design which highlights the theme of love and reflects the importance of art, colour and being an army cadet in Alana’s life.

Alana, a Colchester Institute student, will now complete the 4ft-by-4ft sculpture before it hits the streets of Tendring on 25th June for a 10-week exhibition. During the exhibition, Harwich, Tendring and surrounding areas will boast incredible Octopus Ahoy! sculptures as part of the Mayflower 400™ and 150 Years of Clacton celebrations. After 5^th September, the sculptures will be auctioned to raise money for local charities throughout Essex.

Alana commented: “I’m thrilled to have been picked to paint Galloper’s octopus and am so excited to be part of this exciting public art trail. ‘Octavious’ means a lot to me personally, as it really shows the role that colour, art and being an army cadet play in my life. It’s going to be emotional having my friends and family seeing my work out on the streets, so I can’t wait for it to begin. I just hope everyone loves it as much as I do.”

Guy Middleton, General Manager at Galloper Wind Farm, added: “We are very pleased to have selected Alana, a local art student, to design our octopus sculpture. The vibrancy and emotion in Alana’s design around the themes of health and wellbeing, and positive mental health, really captured our imagination and are important to us as an organisation. We look forward to seeing ‘Octavious’ out on the streets of Tendring, bringing a smile to people’s faces.”