More than 1,500 young people in Spelthorne have been invited to add a small piece of their own perspective to a public artwork. The Creative Wings project asks participants to decorate a paper feather with drawings, words or patterns inspired by their lives, experiences and hopes. When the feathers are brought together, they are planned to form a sculptural swan for exhibition at Staines Library Hub. Spelthorne Borough Council announced the project on Sept. 29, and local reporting followed on Oct. 1. The invitation gives schools and youth groups across the borough a shared creative activity, with each contribution intended to remain distinct inside a much larger work.
One feather at a time
Artist Izi Harris is leading Creative Wings. The council says the project aims to gather 1,500 feathers and 1,500 voices, turning individual responses into a collective image of what it means to be young in Spelthorne in 2026. The activity is designed to be approachable: Staines Online reports that participation packs were sent to schools and youth groups, that making a feather takes about 15 to 30 minutes, and that no specialist art skills are needed. The local outlet also notes that the template can be used across different subjects and age groups. That structure lets students contribute through a brief creative exercise rather than requiring a long course or a particular level of experience.
Each feather is meant to carry its maker’s own drawings, words or patterns. Together they will form the swan, but the project is not asking every young person to produce the same design. The different marks are part of the plan: each entry reflects a separate perspective, while the assembled sculpture places those pieces in one public setting. The council describes the work as a snapshot of young people’s lives, creativity and experiences in the borough during 2026. The project is still collecting contributions, so the finished sculpture and the range of ideas in it have not yet been shown.
A public display, with a lasting record
Schools and groups taking part have been asked to return completed feathers by Oct. 18. The sculpture is scheduled to be displayed at Staines Library Hub from Oct. 26 through Dec. 13. The dates create two stages for the project: a short window for contributors to finish their pieces, followed by several weeks when visitors can see the completed artwork in a shared community space. The council’s announcement identifies the library hub as the exhibition venue; Staines Online gives additional practical details for families planning a visit. The exhibition is a future event as of Oct. 6, rather than a display that has already opened.
The feathers are also planned to have a life beyond the sculpture. The council says each one will be photographed and preserved in a digital archive for Spelthorne Museum. That means the assembled work can be taken down after the exhibition while a record of its individual parts remains. A single sculpture offers a way to see the contributions together; the archive is intended to keep the separate pieces available as part of a record of the borough’s young people in 2026. The sources do not say how the archive will be accessed by the public, so the project’s confirmed promise is preservation rather than a particular online viewing experience.
A borough-wide project through Escalate Arts
Creative Wings is part of Escalate Arts and is supported by Arts Council England, according to Spelthorne Borough Council. Staines Online describes Escalate Arts as a program for young people based at the Library Hub and reports that packs were sent to participating schools and groups. Those details place the swan within a broader local arts effort while keeping the project itself focused: invite young people to express something about their lives, bring their feathers into one artwork and retain a record of the contributions.
Staines Online reports that no specialist art skills are needed; the activity uses a printed feather template. The stated activity is simple: use a feather template and add drawings, words or patterns. That modest format makes room for varied kinds of expression without claiming that every participant will have the same experience. Some may choose images, others words or repeating designs; the project leaves those choices with the young people creating each piece. The final swan will show how those different contributions sit together, and the museum archive is intended to preserve them individually.
The first milestone is Oct. 18, when participating schools and groups are due to return the completed feathers. The swan’s scheduled exhibition follows at Staines Library Hub beginning Oct. 26. Between those dates, the project moves from individual classroom or group activities toward a shared public display. For Spelthorne, Creative Wings is a way to bring many young people into one creative project while making space for each contribution to remain its own.
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