Over the last few months, Donna has been working with Junction 7 Creatives (J7C) to collate stories from the communities in Stevenage. Memories shared, which include what brought people to Stevenage and their favourite things about the town, are now being used to create mosaic images to cover the sculpture.

Donna is giving local people the opportunity to have a keepsake or trinket embedded in the artwork. Items measuring 5x5cm, are weatherproof, made of a lasting material and importantly linked to a story in Stevenage, can be donated to be either embedded or imprinted into the artwork.

Those who wish to share their stories or donate an item should visit Junction 7 Creatives on the Town Square on Saturday 14 December between 11am and 4pm.

Donna Reeves comments: “Community art has to be inclusive for it to truly belong to the people of the area. To help achieve this for the community of Stevenage we want to collect a wide range of their personal stories and keepsakes that we can incorporate into the sculpture. For example, my grandpa moved our family from London to Stevenage when he took a position at British Aerospace working on Concorde. I have fond memories of my granny Mabel serving me tea, so one of her teacups will be cut to form part of the decorative mosaic work on the sculpture. We are asking for the community to share a part of themselves because we want this to be built from their memories and experiences. So please come and share your stories with me”.

Cllr Loraine Rossati, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Wellbeing, added: "Our communities are at the heart of our town, and their stories and experiences are what have shaped Stevenage to become the place it is today. This new piece of artwork is designed to be owned by the people of Stevenage, and we encourage people to share their stories and any keepsakes they are comfortable to, so our history can be enjoyed by all.”

The commission forms part of the UK government’s Towns Fund grant to Stevenage, through the Stevenage Development Board. Stevenage received £37.5m in March 2021.

Adrian Hawkins OBE, Chair of the Stevenage Development Board, commented: “The Stevenage Development Board were provided with a responsibility to assist with the regeneration of Stevenage which includes skills development, facility improvement, safer more pleasant environments, a responsibility for the Towns heritage as the FIRST New Town which includes encouraging our residents to consider what we own and to develop new pieces of art for everyone’s enjoyment. The Bus Interchange is always busy as our residents go about their day-to-day business and trips and we have a fabulous opportunity to create a wonderful new piece of artwork in this area which in time will become an even busier thoroughfare”.

Donna’s artwork will be a mosaic sculpture directly in front of the entrance to the Stevenage Bus Interchange, bordered by two public thoroughfares running north towards Six Hills Way and east towards the Railway Station - a highly prominent location where it will be seen and experienced by hundreds of people every day as part of their journeys through the town.

You can find out more about her at And By Donna Reeves.

The Stevenage Bus Interchange commission is intended as a pilot for a wider series of public art commissions to follow.