From canvas to canvas for St Mary’s students’ winning tent design
Two Year 10 students from St Mary’s School have finally seen their winning tent design brought to life by Staveley-based outdoor products designer FieldCandy.
Students Rhys Rossello (15) and Louis Rafferty (14), both studying Graphics Products at St Mary’s, took part in the tent design competition organised by Destination Chesterfield as part of the Made in Chesterfield festival last year. Made in Chesterfield brought together the town’s thriving manufacturing sector and schools to highlight to career opportunities within it.
The winning design, which features Chesterfield’s crooked spire, the Proact Stadium roof, the train station, Town Hall and Growth Sculpture, was selected by Crush Design and Derbyshire Education Business Project.
Dominic Stevens, Destination Chesterfield Manager commented: “The judges felt that Rhys and Louis’ design reflected Chesterfield and it was a good modern adaptation for a tent.”
Rhys and Louis worked at Crush Design’s studio on Marsden Street in Chesterfield to transform their design into a format ready for printing on the FieldCandy tent.
Headteacher of St Mary’s Sean McClafferty added: “Both Rhys and Louis are a credit to St Mary’s. They have excelled themselves and I am sure this success will encourage them to consider careers in the area of design as they are both clearly gifted students.”
The design was reproduced on a stunning two-man tent by FieldCandy. John Harris, Director of FieldCandy, said: “We were delighted to be able to participate in Made in Chesterfield. We’re even more thrilled with the wonderful design that Rhys and Louis have produced. It’s translated excellently into a tent and we’re very proud of it.
“Taking part in Made in Chesterfield was a great opportunity for FieldCandy to give something back to the Borough. The Council has been exceptionally supportive of the business and has helped us access grant funding to grow and create jobs here.”
Since launching in 2011 FieldCandy has taken the camping world by storm with its unique eye-catching luxury designs which are all made at the company’s headquarters on Colliery Close in Staveley. The designer tents, which feature offbeat graphics such as leopard print, a block of cheese and floral motifs, have developed a celebrity following and are seen at festivals over the world. Some of the designs have even been showcased at the 54th Grammy Awards in the US.
FieldCandy and Crush Design were just two of a number of companies that took part in Made in Chesterfield 2014. The manufacturing festival will return later this year in November for a full month of events. It is coordinated by Destination Chesterfield and is designed to showcase Chesterfield and North Derbyshire’s thriving manufacturing sector and its associated industries to students, raising awareness of the employment opportunities within it as well as the number of varied and exciting roles.
To keep up to date with events and developments in Chesterfield, as well as plans for Made in Chesterfield 2015 visit www.chesterfield.co.uk
