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Nottinghamshire residents are being urged to create eye-catching land art along the route of the Tour of Britain when it passes through the county in September.

The tradition of creating land art masterpieces for the race has long been a practice of the global event.

Now with the eyes of the world set to be on Nottinghamshire when the Tour returns here on September 8 after a four-year absence, community groups, schools, businesses, and landowners are being encouraged to take part in the competition.

The 118-mile, fifth stage of the race will pass by popular tourist attractions such as Southwell Minster, Clumber Park and Sherwood Forest and through many towns and villages dotted along the route between West Bridgford and Mansfield.

Councillor John Cottee, Nottinghamshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, said: “The land art competition is a great way for our communities to once again show their support for the competitors and the teams as the Tour of Britain passes through Nottinghamshire for a third time since 2017.

“Millions of viewers worldwide will be watching the race on television and more than 200,000 people are expected to line the route from West Bridgford to Mansfield, so the competition provides a great opportunity for residents, landowners and community groups to showcase their creative talents.

“On the two previous occasions the showpiece event has come here, our communities have risen to challenge and created some truly fantastic pieces of land art – including the remarkable bicycle made of sheep feeding created by Coddington farmer Des Allen in 2017.

“It goes without saying that I can’t wait to see Nottinghamshire get creative and once again make it a sporting spectacular to remember.”  

Andy Guy, Nottinghamshire County Adviser for the National Farmers Union, echoed those sentiments and urged people to take part in the land art competition.

He said: “Nottinghamshire farmers are a public-spirited community and frequently support local events in their neighbourhoods.

“There have been several examples of fantastic field art since the race came through the county in 2017 from the famous Sheep Bike designed by Des Allen at Coddington to the race logo which was cultivated into a field at Woodborough by John and Cathy Charles-Jones.

“I want to encourage farmers and landowners to put their minds to how we can top the great pieces of art from previous years.”

The winning entry will be chosen by a panel comprising race director Mick Bennett, members of the ITV4 broadcast team and staff from race organisers SweetSpot, with the winners presented with a trophy. Two runners-up will also be announced.

Tour of Britain race director Mick Bennett said: “The land art competition always brings out the creativity in the communities that we pass through.

“The entries never cease to bring a smile to our faces, and I am sure that of viewers around the world watching on TV.

“Over the past three years we have had some wonderful entries to the competition, and I am sure that the standard will be equally high this year.”  

To watch the video of Des’s iconic sheep feed land art, click here.

There’s more information here about the land art competition and tips about creating your perfect display, while the County Council also has a dedicated Tour of Britain webpage packed with details about a number of fun-filled competitions for schoolchildren.

The Tour of Britain starts in Aberdeen on Sunday 4 September and finishes on the Isle of Wight seven days later and, in addition to our county, passes through the south of Scotland, Redcar & Cleveland and North Yorkshire, Gloucestershire and Dorset.

Live coverage of the race is shown daily in the UK on ITV4, in addition to around the world.

The Tour of Britain is part of the UCI ProSeries, making it one of the most prestigious sporting events in the sport’s global calendar.

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