'Hoola Hoopa Girl' sculpture unveiled at Raven's Wickham House in Reigate

‘Hoola Hoopa Girl’, a unique bronze resin sculpture by professional artist Helen Sinclair was unveiled at the newly refurbished Wickham House in Reigate on Wednesday 12 November.

Before the unveiling in the morning Raven sponsored a workshop for art students at nearby Royal Alexandra & Albert School with Helen Sinclair. Helen demonstrated how this sculpture started from a small idea to the finished product. After the workshop the pupils visited the sculpture in its new setting at Wickham House.

Raven Housing Trust commissioned the sculpture as a piece of public art to enhance the entrance to Wickham House and commemorate the life of Rosemary Wickham, Raven’s former IT Manager who died last year. Wickham House was named after her. Family and friends attended the unveiling during a private ceremony, which Helen Sinclair attended.

‘The ‘Hoola Hoopa’ girl looks fantastic and I hope Wickham House residents and visitors will get many years of enjoyment from this beautiful and unique piece of art. Raven has a strong commitment to community-based art projects. Having the artist Helen Sinclair here for the unveiling of the sculpture was an ideal opportunity for Helen to inspire local students at the Royal Alexandra & Albert School to develop their art skills,’ said Raven chief executive Nicholas Harris.

Raven refurbished and extended Wickham House earlier in 2008 to provide 17 one and two bedroom self-contained flats which used as temporary accommodation for local people waiting for permanent homes.

The existing building had been used as temporary accommodation for a number of years but its shared facility bedsits were out of date. As well as improving the current building, the new extension maximises the available space to provide additional much needed affordable rented accommodation in the area.


Notes to Editors
Raven Housing Trust
Raven Housing Trust, east Surrey’s leading registered social landlord, aims to provide affordable homes and improve the communities where residents live. Raven manages more than 5,900 homes ranging from studio flats to 5 bedroom houses, sheltered accommodation for the elderly and affordable homes for key workers. It has an ambitious development programme to build more than 750 new homes over the next five years.

Raven Housing Trust - for more information contact: Sharon McIntyre, PR Dept, on 01737 272417 email sharon.mcintyre@ravenht.org.uk