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Final Picture before being dismantled

Quite a lot if ice was left at the end of the day

This year, Santa came early to visit the Idlewells Shopping Centre in Sutton in Ashfield. There were lots of Christmas attractions in the centre. Not only did he attend a special ‘drop in’ Christmas Grotto to accept his Christmas lists from hopeful children (and adults), but he even managed to pose for a few photographs and selfies with the busy Christmas shoppers on a magical ice sculpture sleigh.

Sand In Your Eye were more than happy to create the Ice Sleigh for him inside the vibrant Nottinghamshire shopping centre. Lets face it, the Sand in Your Eye  team have helped him out a few times now to supply this popular Christmas attraction – however, this was the first time we had produced a real ice sleigh carving inside a busy shopping centre.

To make the magic happen two of the Sand In Your Eye ice carving team, Jamie Wardley and recent addition Rich Spence, arrived at the shopping centre just before opening time. They easily managed to get everything set up and bring the ice into the shopping arcade without causing obstruction.  Once the secured area was ready they set to work assembling the 100+ kg blocks of ice, before adding the final design touches, as astonished shoppers and spectators looked on.

Santa Can carve too

Naughty Santa modifying his Ice Sleigh

Around lunch time, as soon as the Ice Sleigh was finished it was opened up to the public. A queue quickly formed to have their pictures taken in the real ice carving, either for fun or even to use them to make customised Christmas cards.

“Is that real ice?” Was a frequent question, as dozens of shoppers paused from their Christmas dash, to have their photos taken inside the finished sleigh.

“Absolutely! Come and sit inside it and try it for yourself.”

“Wow! How long will it take to melt?”

We’re not sure!! Was the standard response…However, it was of no consequence, as the ice sleigh was to be dismantled and removed after closing time.

Packing up and leaving took less than a couple of hours. Helped to a large degree by our unique draining facility, which kept the public dry and safe from slipping hazards, the shopping centre remaining free from melt water spillages throughout the day.

As the shopping centre closed – Even Santa was still so excited he grabbed a chisel and made a few minor modifications to the sleigh himself!! I guess Santa can get carried away and be naughty sometimes.

Merry Christmas! From all at Sand In Your Eye.

Ice sleigh awaiting removal

The Ice Sleigh still intact as the shopping centre closed

Santa Can carve too

Naughty Santa modifying his Ice Sleigh

Santa making some modifications

Santa trying his hand at Ice Sculpture…come to a workshop and try it too!

Smile now Santa!!!

A young girl poses with Santa on his magical Ice Sleigh

Final Picture before being dismantled

Quite a lot if ice was left at the end of the day

Ice Sculpture Sleigh

A family of Christmas Shoppers poses on the Ice Sleigh

Posing on the Ice Sculpture

Christmas shppers take a few moments to have a selfie on the Ice Sleigh

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"From carved pumpkins depicting beheaded Tudor royals to a realistic but giant castle sand sculpture, the Sand In Your Eye team have been brilliant at making our outlandish dreams a reality. Every request and idea is met with an open mind and they are buzzing with artistic ideas – we love working with the team because it feels like a partnership to create something special. Not only this but they are also reliable and dedicated, and we look forward to working with them again in the future."

Emma GoughEnglish Heritage
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"It’s been a pleasure to collaborate with Sand In Your Eye over the last two years. Together we’ve created a 60 metre sand portrait , a giant tennis ball mosaic at Wimbledon and a huge mud toilet sculpture at Glastonbury, all of which have helped us secure high quality media coverage for our campaigns. Working to the highest ethical and environmental standards, Sand In Your Eye go above and beyond to problem-solve and create unique activations that help WaterAid to reach new audiences. I look forward to more collaborations in future."

Anna France-WilliamsWaterAid
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"Hebden Royd Town Council have been proud to partner with Sand in Your Eye on a number of events and projects over the past 10 years. Sand in Your Eye have continually surpassed expectations and consistently deliver creative, engaging artworks of the highest quality which help the Town Council to connect with the community."

Emma GreenHebden Royd Town Council
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"We have worked with the team at Sand In Your Eye since we started delivering our projects in 2019. During that time we have found them to be imaginative, creative and inspiring in their thinking. The attention to detail, amazing creations and passion for all they do really sets them apart and we look forward to continuing our working relationships as we enter a new five year term."

Jonny NobleBradford BID Manager
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"It was a pleasure to work with the skilful team at Sand In Your Eye. From having initial idea discussions to working up designs, creating the land art and producing top quality film and imagery afterwards. We were delighted with the whole process from start to finish and would thoroughly recommend."

Emily WatsonNorth York Moors National Park
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"We were delighted with the outcome of our climate-themed Coal and Ice event at Woodhorn Museum. The Ice Trail looked stunning, with visitors really connecting with the poignancy of seeing beautifully carved endangered animals slowly begin to melt away. Throughout the project, the Sand in Your Eye team were enthusiastic, professional, collaborative and full of brilliant creative ideas. I wouldn't hesitate to work with Sand in Your Eye again and would highly recommend them to others."

Liz RitsonMuseums Northumberland, Woodhorn Museum
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"We had a really great experience working with Sand In Your Eye on our project raising awareness of UK nature loss. They were consistently friendly, professional and able to give us valuable advice where needed, and we were so impressed with the quality and detail of the final sand drawing, drone footage and final video."

Jane WilliamsonUK Youth For Nature
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"Altogether, we’ve worked with SIYE three times on campaigns for nature protection and climate justice. In addition to their talent, collaboration and efficiency, we really value SIYE’s green ethos and commitment to amplifying environmental issues. We would love to work with them again in the future."

Emma WilkinsonGreenhouse PR
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"We were really excited to work with Sand In Your Eye on this important project. The attention to detail and the tutorial videos we received to help our children put together the paper bees were just fabulous. The engagement in the project from all year groups was lovely to see. The team at Sand In Your Eye are creative, innovative and have a can-do attitude; no project is too big!"

Rob PaytonSchool Head Hebden Royd CofE
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"I just wanted to say how much we enjoyed the sand sculpting workshop. Jamie and Peter were fantastic, the whole activity played well to our audience (a high proportion with an engineering background!) – there was also lots of interest from the public in the activity."

Laura WeirGo Fibre

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