FOR a decade, fairies have been hiding in the gardens of a magical Midland tourist attraction – and to celebrate their tenth birthday, there’s a bloomin’ brilliant new arrival. 

Trentham Gardens this week unveiled a new artwork titled Dancing With Dandelions to celebrate 10 years of the wonderful wire sculptures which can be spotted throughout the grounds of the Staffordshire spread.

Created by renowned Robin Wight, the startling sculpture rotates on a spherical stone finial which once formed part of the original historic building at Trentham.

And all this half-term holiday week, the Gardens see the return of the Fairy Quest trail for families to follow, spotting the 21 fairies along the way and learning more by scanning QR codes.

Staffordshire-based artist Robin is the founder of FantasyWire, a family business that makes and sells fairy sculptures and magical creations made primarily from stainless steel wire.

In 2009, whilst on a walk, he was entranced by a magical illusion created by sunlight streaming through the trees, and it became the inspiration behind creating the Trentham fairies.

He has worked with Trentham for 10 years and his sculptures attract visitors from all over the world. His works sell for tens of thousands of pounds, some for upwards of £50,000.

Robin started his career as an engineer and software developer before realising a passion for sculpting and creating early works in sand and wood before moving on to his trademark wire style.

“I can’t imagine anywhere more suited to display my work than the iconic Trentham Gardens,” says Robin.

“I’m incredibly grateful for everyone’s appreciation of my sculptures over the last 10 years and I can’t wait to see both regular visitors and new faces enjoy the magic fairies can bring.”

To celebrate the birthday, Trentham has also launched a photography competition with the chance for visitors to win one of FantasyWire’s large Dandelion Wish sculptures worth £1,000.

All visitors need to do is take a photo of a fairy sculpture in Trentham Gardens and post it on social media with the hashtags #TrenthamFairiesComp and #FantasyWire.

For more info on the Trentham Fairies, head to trentham.co.uk