Inspired by Melissa Harrison’s book, “All among the barley”, Framlingham artist Spadge Hopkins is creating a series of limited-edition steel bird sculptures for Suffolk Wildlife Trust. Spadge will be using his unique style to incorporate silhouettes and shadows into his ideas to enhance the detail of some of the Suffolk birds that feature in Melissa’s book.

Having counted 22 separate species of birds mentioned in the book he was inspired to create the series to raise funds for Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s work to bring nature back to Suffolk and help these species thrive in the future. Some are now very rare and others are referred to by some intriguing local names. 

It is hoped that the series will be ready for June 2026 and will be on show at two galleries over the summer and then at the Trust’s Festival of Nature in the Autumn.

The collection will include:

• Nightingale (Barley Bird) 
• Swift, 
• Lapwing (Peewit) 
• Nightjar (Goatsucker or Night Churr)
• Yellow hammer (Scribbly Jack)
• Field fare, 
• Corncrake (Landrail)
• Long-tailed Tit (Bum Barrel)

The works will be on show at:

Watch House Gallery, Orford Quay – 15^th to 21^st June.

Snape Maltings, Quay Gallery – 30^th July to 5^th August

Festival of Nature launch at Seckford Theatre, Sunday 20^th September.

The sculptures will be available via the trust's website - www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org - with 50% of the proceeds going towards their 'Mission 2030' campaign to bring nature back to Suffolk.

A quote from Melissa Harrison:

'When I wrote All Among the Barley I was calling into being the lost world of a century ago, far more full of birds and other creatures than ours is today. These sculptures are like the shadows of what's gone – and a reminder that abundance can still return, if we make the right choices'. 

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