Hundreds of families have visited a two-day ice trail at a Northumberland Museum.
Coal and Ice took place over two days at Woodhorn, with several animals made of ice placed across the mining museum to highlight animals at risk from global warming. Animals had been chosen by schools in Northumberland, visitors to Woodhorn, and community groups with a mixture of wildlife found in the North East; such as red squirrels and puffins; and those under threat around the globe; like snow leopards and orang-utans.
However, mild weather caused some of the larger temporary sculptures to start melting faster than expected. One fighting a losing battle with the elements was a "pledge bridge", where local schoolchildren had written their climate pledges and had them encased within the ice.
Read more: Northumberland pub hopes new addition will be star attraction under county's dark skies
Smaller sculptures, such as the dolphin, axolotl, and bee were made of single large blocks of ice, so they could be stored and were less ravaged by the weather. And during ChronicleLive's visit, the sculptures were clearly a talking point for many families, and for one particular child, the snow leopard almost became lunch.
Chris Harper, director of the trail, said: "The response to the trail has been absolutely lovely. I think there's something really magical of the juxtaposition of the ice and the architecture of the mining museum, with these very temporary and ephemeral structures installed in a space that was built to last forever when it was created.
"The fact that the ice is melting, that's been part of the conversation parents and kids are having. And they're having it in relation to climate change."
One example of the ice melting that was described as "poignant" by Chris was the large polar bear outside Woodhorn's "Cutter" building, made from twelve blocks of ice. As it was too large to be stored overnight, much of the polar bear had disappeared as temperatures of 9°C and a mild breeze sped up the melting process.
Chris continued: "We felt it was heart rending to see the polar bear. But it's a more definitive symbol of climate change than it would be if we had a perfectly carved one."
The ticketed event was fully booked over both days, and is thought to have brought more than 2,000 people to Woodhorn. Becky Madeley, Communications Manager for Museums Northumberland, said: "We had more than 1,000 people on Thursday and it's looking like the same on Friday.
"To have so many people coming for a free ticketed event is amazing as there's no obligation to come. It's just so poignant to see the ice melting and what's happening to the poor animals."
For more information on Woodhorn Museum, visit the website.
Did you visit the ice sculpture trail at Woodhorn? What did you think? Let us know!
Read next
A look around Lilidorei at the Alnwick Garden where it’s Christmas all year round
Ambitious plans for Northumberland holiday park that could create dozens of jobs and boost economy
'Devastating year' for Northumberland's birds as weather extremes challenged wildlife in 2022
New nature reserve and holiday let for Northumberland after land donated to charity
Government announces set up of independent panel to investigate North East crab and lobster deaths
