Littlehampton's giant 5ft seagull – meet Chips, who is making high street shoppers happy

He was created and named by children and young people in Littlehampton with local willow sculptors, Two

Circles Design at a free workshop in October to celebrate the reopening of the town’s public realm. The idea for a giant seagull sculpture was raised by children in a series of creative consultation workshops in Littlehampton held by Artswork over the summer.

Chips settled into his winter nesting spot just in time for the Littlehampton Festive Lights Switch-On on November 18, where he welcomed lots of attention from children and families and was the star of many selfies.

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Artswork attended to hear what the public thought of the new sculpture. Comments included: “That seagull is amazing”; “We’d love much more stuff like this to brighten up the High Street”; and “He makes the High Street feel happier.”

There were some concerns voiced that he might fall victim to antisocial behaviour, but the team and regulars at the Crown Pub have volunteered to take on the role of his unofficial guardians as they already feel ‘completely attached’ to him.

Chips will be based on the High Street until early January when he will be looking for a new permanent home. Interested schools or local businesses should contact Artswork to register their interest.

The sculpture was commissioned and funded by Artswork to engage local children and young people in creativity and make them feel connected to their town. The project was funded by Artswork’s Activating Young Cultural Changemakers programme which empowers young people to make a difference where they live through significant creative projects. The programme is supported by funding from Arts Council England.