VISITORS to Riverside Park in Southampton have recently been confronted with not just the usual sports activities and dog walkers, but with a giant piece of art!

The public were invited to help create a giant picture of salmon and eels on the grass near Woodmill to celebrate the wildlife of the Itchen Navigation. At the Land Draw event, the public watched dance performances inspired by the Itchen Navigation, performed by 25 students from Hounsdown Secondary School.

The art event was part of the Itchen Navigation Heritage Trail Project, a wildlife conservation project being run by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Environment Agency and local authorities, the project aims to conserve the wildlife and historic value of the Itchen Navigation, through repairing the riverbanks, preserving 300-year-old locks and raising awareness with local communities, through leaflets and art events.