Fun and games at the celebration event

Community celebration event on The Link

The official launch event for The Link

Members of Lascelles and Bank Top Community Partnerships gather with ward local Councillors, artist Jim Roberts and Darlington MP Jenny Chapman for the official opening of The Link project

Artist Jim Roberts talking about the Link project to MP Jenny Chapman

The launch event was a great success and everyone involved had lots to say about the improvements

Local people talking to the community police officers at the launch event while a reporter from The Northern Echo talks to members of the group about The Link project

Members of the Link project sub-group together with local Councillors from both wards

Putting things in order ready for the launch event

The new signposts were installed on the Link about a week before the official launch date in October and this photograph shows a close-up of one of the signposts with the spider and leaf sculptural elements before it is finally set in place. Both signposts have 'The Link' lettering on them but show different nature elements, giving residents the chance to spot the unique designs produced in the community art workshops, as they walk past.

Children from the local primary schools who were involved in the art workshops were invited to come along and watch their designs come to life when the decorative bollards and signposts were installed on the Link. It was an exciting moment to see how some of their designs had been transformed into metal sculptures by artist Jim Roberts over the summer months

Installing signposts at both ends of The Link

The new signposts arrived on a flat bed trailer, ready to be installed at either end of the new footpath across the Link

A close up detail of the lettering with a beautiful leaf and metal spider

Jim and his assistant getting the ground ready for the signposts

Checking the bollards are level and even

Installing the removable bollard for easy grass cutting access on the Link

Levelling the bollards along the row

A metal hedgehog on one of the signposts peeping out from the trailer

Starting to dig the hole for installing the first signpost

Making the hole wide enough and deep enough

The signposts were very heavy and it took two people to lift them into place

Artist Jim Roberts levelling up the first signpost

Sign pointing in the right direction across the Link from Lascelles

Lettering and sculptural details on the first signpost showing a butterfly and bird

A metal flower sculpture winding its way up one of the signposts

The second signpost in place at the Eastbourne end of the Link path with the project information plaque installed in place beside it

A lovely early evening silhouette showing the spiders web on one of the signposts

Lettering and decorative details on the signpost

Local dog walkers and residents enjoying the new paths and signposts

Residents making use of the new paths with one of the new lighting columns seen in the distance