A SCULPTURE trail around Dursley woods will be created in time for this year's summer walking festival.

The project has long been in the planning stages but now town councillors have set out the route and started to consider what types of sculpture will be displayed.

Dursley Town Council and Vale Vision, who have been working on the project together, hope that the trail will be a community led project in which sculptures are designed by local schools and organisations.

Natural wooden sculptures will be placed around a walking route through Twinberrow wood and there will also be a seating area for locals and visitors to have picnics.

Dursley Town Council will invite local school children to get involved with the project by designing and creating sculptures, signs and other works of art for the trail.

Bill Church, headteacher at Dursley CoE Primary School, said: "We will be involved with the project, although we are not sure what we are designing yet.

"I think this is a great project for the whole community, the ideas that have been discussed sound very exciting and the school is happy to be involved because we are part of the community."

Vale Vision went on a fact finding trip to see a community developed sculpture trail in Cannock Chase, Staffordshire.

Ideas that came from the visit were to create a mix of permanent, semi-permanent and temporary sculptures made by local organisations and schools.

Cllr Brian Marsh, chairman of the woodlands committee, said: "This is some really good news for the town and it should be ready for people to enjoy this summer.

"Myself and the vice chairman of the woodlands committee have marked out the trail in the woods and we hope it will be ready in July, in time for the Dursley walking festival.

"We really want children from local schools to get involved and professional artists will help them create sculptures for the trail.

"The project has taken a little while but work will soon begin on creating the trail."