THE Countess of Chester Country Park will host a series of artwork by Chester-based artist, Nicky Thompson.

The 12 stunning posters entitled ‘Cheshire’s Wonderful Wildlife’ will be displayed in the Country Park for the next two years along a half mile circular trail starting at The Friendly Bench, entering the nearby hospital grounds and returning around the far side of the Nature Reserve, to the start on the main path.

The Friends of the Countess of Chester Country Park (FoCCCP) say they are “thrilled” to have been chosen by the Mid Cheshire Community Rail Partnership to host the work.

Born in Sheffield in 1970, Nicky Thompson is a graphic designer, illustrator, lecturer and occasional fine artist, and since 1994 has owned and managed Chester boutique design studio Lemondrop Creative.

Chester and District Standard: Chair Andy Scargill removes the swan poster from Vickersway Park in January.Chair Andy Scargill removes the swan poster from Vickersway Park in January. (Image: Friends of Countess of Chester Country Park)

The posters have also previously featured in the grounds of the Tatton Hall National Trust gardens and Vickersway Park in Northwich.

The route chosen for the trail is one which nurses & support workers from the Countess of Chester Hopsital’s Bowmere (adult mental health) and Ancora House (children’s mental health) walk with the patients in their care. It is hoped that looking at the posters will give opportunities for staff and patients to talk about the animals featured on them and maybe think about where they might be living.

Morag Scargill from the Friends of team said: “Having visited the posters at Tatton Park I was really inspired by them and hoped that one day they could come to the Countess of Chester Country Park where I felt they would be so relevant to the ethos of what we are trying to achieve.

“We’d like to offer a huge thanks the Mid Cheshire Community Rail Partnership who commissioned & own them, Northwich Town Council who had them prior to us and of course Nicky Thompson who designed them for their help in making this happen.”

The posters were moved rom Vickersway on a very snowy day in January and were then cleaned. They will be installed during March, with the art trail set to officially open in April.

The FoCCCP added that if regular users or visitors to the park would like to make a contribution towards the installation costs of the trail, this would be much appreciated. Further details on how to do this can be found by contacting friend.coccp@gmail.com.