The Art Around Huyton trail, created by artist Martin Heron in collaboration with the community, is now open in Huyton town centre. The project is split into two parts: Hands Around Huyton and the Family Circle.
The Family Circle Sculpture
The Family Circle is a red steel gateway sculpture that lights up at night, located at the start of the trail at Huyton train station. Its design is inspired by the round biscuit tins of the Huntley & Palmer factory, which opened in the town in 1955 to produce popular lines like Cornish Wafers. The factory was a major employer until its closure in 1983, and many residents shared memories with Martin during his research.
Martin told the ECHO: "A large number of people I worked with had a lot of memories. You find out so much about people and their stories, which are really important. It gives a marker of their sense of place and their being in it." He recalled one woman's story about a fingerprint found in a biscuit, which halted the entire production line and forced a recall. "I really liked how someone had left their mark and it had caused all this disruption," he added. Others remembered parents bringing home bags of broken biscuits from the factory.
Hands Around Huyton Casts
The trail features 12 round bronze casts of local people's hands holding objects connected to Huyton's history. Residents were invited to public casting workshops to bring items that told their personal stories. The process involved pushing hands holding objects into sand, which was then filled with plaster to create three-dimensional casts.
One cast by Stephanie, a local volunteer, holds a pair of train tickets commemorating the arrival of the railway in 1830, making Huyton station one of the oldest in the world. Stephanie said: "All the fine details come out; it's really captured the tickets. I can't believe that it's there forever now, and a part of the place where we live."
Football Shield and Artistic Identity
Another cast features a trophy shield from the Huyton Boys football team's victory in the English Schools Under 15 FA Cup in 1971. The shield was brought by Michael Reid, brother of Peter Reid, who later played for Everton, QPR, and Manchester City. A cast of a spray can by local artist John Culshaw, who painted a mural on Paddy McBride's pub, highlights the area's creativity. Culshaw said: "Huyton is a massively creative area." He added that the community encouraged him: "They lifted me up. Without the people of Huyton I wouldn't be an artist now."
Folklore and Nature
Artist Shaun Taft created a cast of two dogs about to butt heads, inspired by the rhyme "Huyton Huyton, two dogs fightin'…" He said: "Whatever the origin is, I've always thought the 'Two Dogs' represents the nearest thing Huyton has to its own folklore." On Derby Road, a cast of a gavel is made from wood of an old oak tree blown down in Bowring Park in 2007, marking the park's centenary. Carla Simkin, who ran the Knowsley Flower Show for over 30 years until her retirement in 2025, created a cast of a flower and butterfly to reflect the importance of wildlife and biodiversity.
Interactive Elements and Community Pride
Each cast is encircled by a code that can be solved by scanning a QR code and following clues to uncover a hidden message. Martin said: "I liked the idea of a community and sense of belonging, then the hands link everything and keep it within a circle." He added: "By engaging with local groups and listening to their stories, we've created artworks that reflect the pride people have in their community."
This is not Martin's first Knowsley project; he also created the Gateway artworks in Prescot, inspired by cable-making history. Cllr Shelley Powell, Knowsley Cabinet member for communities and neighbourhoods, said: "Public art plays a vital role in brightening up our spaces… It helps reflect the history of an area, tells the stories of the people who live there, and creates opportunities for communities to come together."
