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Towns and villages along the Nottinghamshire route of this year’s Tour of Britain are once again being encouraged to create eye-catching land art for the eagerly anticipated stage.

The world-famous cycle race returns to Robin Hood County for a fourth time since 2017 when it hosts the 170-kilometre fourth stage from Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre to Newark on Wednesday 6 September.

A popular and long-standing tradition of the race is the Tour of Britain’s National Land Art Competition, which provides community groups, schools, businesses, and landowners on the route an opportunity to showcase their creative talents.

Nottinghamshire is no stranger to the competition, with Keyworth scooping the prestigious award last year for its distinctive ‘Hedgehog Highway’ design.

The ‘Spike on a Bike’ land art was created on the Rectory Field and was inspired by the community’s drive to encourage more people to help vulnerable hedgehogs move safely from garden to garden in the area.

Now with the eyes of the world set to be on Nottinghamshire once more when the Tour returns next month, creative Bassetlaw and Newark and Sherwood residents are being encouraged to take part in this year’s competition.

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

“It’s an event which will be watched by millions of television viewers in addition to the 200,000-plus people who are expected to line the route from Sherwood Forest to Newark, so the competition provides a great opportunity for people in Bassetlaw and Newark and Sherwood to create some truly eye-catching land art.

“As we all know, Nottinghamshire has a proud association with this competition after Keyworth’s much-deserved success last year and I’m confident that our communities will once again rise to the challenge and follow in their footsteps. Good luck everybody!”

This year’s stage will start from Sherwood Forest and will pass through major towns, including Worksop, Retford and Southwell, before the sprint for the finish line takes place in Newark 170 kilometres later.

A world-class class field of competitors will also visit several towns and villages, including Carburton, Harworth, Sturton le Steeple, Boughton, Bilsthorpe, Caunton, Egmanton, Tuxford, Girton and Collingham.

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: “Since we launched the national land art competition, we have been blown away by the standard of creations that have lined the route of the Tour.

“Following in the footsteps of last year’s champions, the truly unforgettable Spike on a Bike installation in Keyworth, will not be easy but we’ve got a good feeling that community groups, organisations, and individuals will find a way to do so!

“Best of luck to everybody in Nottinghamshire entering the competition!”

The 19^th edition of the UK’s most prestigious cycle race begins in Greater Manchester on Sunday 3 September and finishes in South Wales a week later.

In addition to our county, it will also pass through North Wales, East Yorkshire, Suffolk, Essex and the South West.  

Live coverage of the race is shown daily in the UK on ITV4, in addition to more than 100 countries around the world via Discovery Player and GCN+.

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

Entries for the 2023 land art competition can be made online at tourofbritain.co.uk/community/land-art. The closing date for submissions is Friday 18 August. 

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ENDS