Public artist Bernadette Hughes and ASF were commissioned to produce seating and associated furniture for a walk-through park in Warrington.

The project aimed to create a welcoming atmosphere that encourages and attracts people of all ages to use the park. Bernadette's theme for this was Wind in the Willows, which was used to help people learn about the wildlife value of the area and to develop pride and ownership in the park.

ASF worked closely with the client to put together an entirely bespoke and striking range of seating, signage and litter bins - each one manufactured as a one-off and based on drawings supplied by Bernadette.

ASF created a system of manufacture that not only showcased the artistic designs, but which also produced tough and practical finished products - taking into consideration anti-vandal requirements and avoidance of finger traps.

The design challenges of featuring Bernadette's highly complex designs in a safe and functional manner were solved by creating a layered seat back solution. A solid steel laser-profiled back was faced with a bright finished and galvanised laser-profiled cover plate, which had a third laser-cut layer of powder-coated stainless steel overlaid. This produced Bernadette's complex design against the bright backdrop.

This system was used to great effect for the seats, signs and litter bins.

The large sign had an added element with a quote from The Wind in the Willows book. This was etched and enamelled onto a polished stainless steel plate which was then invisibly mounted into a recess on the sign frame.