Mid Sussex shopping centre boss speaks out over sculpture dumped at scrap yard

The bronze sculpture – called Family Outing – was thought to have once been on display in the centre of The Orchards shopping centre in Haywards Heath.

But an outcry followed when a photo of the artwork dumped on its back in a scrap yard was posted on social media.

People described it as ‘a total waste’ and ‘so sad.’ And a number of suggestions were put forward as to where it should have gone such as Victoria Park or the grounds of the Princess Royal Hospital.

One person described it as ‘a piece of Haywards Heath history.’

But now shopping centre manager Nicola Bird has said it was hoped to commission a local artist to create a new artwork.

And she threw doubt on whether the dumped sculpture was the one that had stood in The Orchards for some years.

“We aren’t sure if this is the one that was in The Orchards as it was removed five years ago by RB Construction, who were the council’s building contractors,” she said.

“There were 13 in total around the UK as any centre that was once owned by Norwich Union, they placed one in their centres which was funded by themselves.

“Ours was removed to give room for our events. The space was so restricted that we couldn’t cope with the demand from our customers in terms of bringing entertainment for their families.

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"By removing the statue, it enabled us to provide much more for children, such as workshops, bouncy castles, interactive games etc which in turn increased footfall and retailer spend.

“When Mid Sussex District Council bought the centre the business unit leader at the time authorised the removal as it wasn’t specific to The Orchards.

"I asked if they wanted it for any of their parks but they didn’t.

“As The Orchards refurbishes and hopefully expands, a statue that is not mass produced and is just specific to The Orchards will be commissioned by one of our local artists.”