CALNE'S "BIG BIKE" SCULPTURE

A few months ago, when we visited our friend, Louise, who lives at Calne, a town in Wiltshire, we saw this wonderful “Big Bike” sculpture and it looked quite sad - in fact, at the time I said to Mr. HCB that I could use it as a “Derelict Sunday” shot.  I decided the next time we went to see her, I would look for a place to stop and take a shot.

Imagine our surprise when we visited today and saw that the “Big Bike” - made entirely from 3,000 feet of scaffolding pipes, standing at 15 feet high and 26 feet long - was looking rather swish, and all thanks to volunteers who re-painted and restored it to its former glory earlier this year.  Of course, I had to rely on Mr. Google, to give me all the information relating to the "Big Bike".

Apparently, it was created by a local sculptor and scaffolder, Toby Welsby, to help publicise the annual Calne Bike Meet and was intended to be a temporary structure.  The sculpture is a replica of a red Royal Enfield Super Meteor Twin - known as the “Big Bike”, was constructed in 2013 and took two years to put together.  It was built in a barn and then craned to the field where it now sits at the entrance to Beversbrook Farm.  

However, it had faded over the years and the field all around it had overgrown.  But thanks to a fellow named Fraser Drummond, who lives near the farm, he co-ordinated a group of volunteers to help restore the sculpture.  He put out a call on social media and was inundated with offers of support to help to restore the “Big Bike.”

As part of the restoration project, the base of the sculpture was cleared, gravelled and jet washed before being given a fresh coat of “blood red” paint.  The roadside hedge was also trimmed to improve visibility of the bike.

Apparently, 10,000 motorcyclists attended the Calne Annual Bike Meet this year, which was the 25th Anniversary - so it just shows what can be done when a community gets involved.  The event also raised thousands of pounds for charity.  Well done to all those who helped with the restoration and it certainly got me a good Blip for today - and of course, SN11 is part of the postcode of Calne.

All that remains is for Mr. HCB and me to thank our lovely friend, Louise, for her hospitality today - we always have fun together - although we didn’t play UNO today - that’s for another day, when her two daughters are both back home!   M xx