In 2010 I was commissioned by Amber Valley Borough Council to create a gateway sculpture for my home town of Heanor, Derbyshire. The project gave me the opportunity to look closely at the industrial history of the town and, in particular, the legacy of I. R. Morley’s, a textile manufacturer that had once employed more than 1,000 people locally.

The starting point for the sculpture was the company’s distinctive emblem — a wheel enclosed within a pair of wings, known as the Flying Wheel. Rather than simply reproducing the old logo, I wanted to transform it into something that could speak about both Heanor’s industrial past and its future. The wheel became a strong, circular form passing through and beyond the wings, creating a sense of movement, energy and regeneration.

The sculpture became much more than an object to mark an entrance to the town. It was a way of uncovering a piece of Heanor’s industrial story and translating it into a contemporary form. Research, sketches, conversations and the process of making all became part of the project, and I later documented the journey in a book, Heanor Wings & Wheel Sculpture – The Heanor Gateway Sculpture, published in 2012.

Today, Wings & Wheel remains recognised as the Heanor Gateway sculpture, standing on Derby Road as a reminder of the town’s industrial heritage.