Jodrell Bank Director celebrated at huge land-art installation at Whitby Abbey

A massive land artwork the size of four Olympic swimming pools has been unveiled at Whitby Abbey in Yorkshire.

Created by globally renowned artist David Popa, known for creating huge artworks made from natural materials, ‘The Heritage Tree’ has been created to coincide with The National Lottery’s 30th anniversary.

The vast artwork, measuring 5,400 square metres – Popa’s largest and most complex piece to date – commemorates the achievements of seven ‘Game Changers’, including Teresa Anderson MBE, director of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Engagement, recognising their extraordinary impact on heritage and conservation with the help of National Lottery players who raise £30 million every week for such causes.

The installation used the renowned abbey’s famous landscape and natural pigments painted on the ground to show Teresa and the other Game Changer’s hands holding the roots of a tree.

Jodrell Bank Centre for Engagement is co-located within Jodrell Bank Observatory, part of the University of Manchester, and one of the world’s foremost radio astronomy observatories in Macclesfield, Cheshire.

Teresa champions cultural engagement with science and science heritage. She says that the story of science tells us something about who we are as a people. Teresa describes Jodrell Bank as the next step in humanity’s relation to the sky, which dates back millennia, starting with Neolithic tombs that align with the sun, to the moon landing.

She worked with Tim O’Brien on the case for Jodrell Bank being recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site, which was achieved in 2019. The First Light Pavilion at Jodrell Bank was built with the help of £12.5 million of National Lottery funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Her work has been recognized with numerous awards, including being appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her services to astrophysics.

Teresa Anderson said: “Jodrell Bank is more than just a scientific facility; it’s a significant cultural and historical landmark. Its recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site formed part of my mission to integrate science into cultural heritage, which has been supported by The National Lottery.

“Together with The National Lottery, we opened the iconic First Light Pavilion which features an immersive Space Dome auditorium and beautiful new permanent exhibition, which we hope will continue to inspire the next generation of scientists.”