Ice-Hero Hailed in Plymouth

The 21st of March saw the construction of a life-size sculpture of Captain Scott, his tent and a penguin, all made entirely from ice.

Staged in Plymouth city centre, at the heart of Captain Scott's home town, we attracted interest throughout the day, as hundreds of people stopped to learn more about the upcoming Captain Scott centenary.

Falling on the same day as the Plymouth blitz, we engraved "resurgam" into the ice, which has been the motto of Plymouth since the city was destroyed in the Second World War attacks. 'I will rise again' seems to fit perfectly with the outreach work we are conducting for the Scott centenary, and the passion for Plymouth's future that we all share.

During the day over 120 children from three local schools visited and participated in our Polar Fun Day events to learn about Captain Scott and polar science. From having their photo taken with a local hero to learning about inuit people and penguin behaviour, they certainly had a different classroom in which to learn!

As the ice melted during the day, we were also able to disseminate the story of current climate change in the polar regions, with considerable visual impact.

Thank you to all involved for a fantastic day, especially our volunteers; also to Pyramid Staging and Hamilton Ice Sculptures for their fantastic work; and in particular to our main sponsors, Mount Wise. Angus Macdonald, Development Advisor at Mount Wise, said of the occasion:

“We are delighted to support this celebratory event. The ice sculpture is a symbolic and visual way to commemorate the adventurous spirit of Scott and his team, and with the national memorial just a stone's throw from our new waterside village, we really wanted to get involved.

Plymouth is rich in history and it is fantastic to see an aspect of this celebrated in such a thought provoking way. The city is really getting behind the Centenary and we look forward to the other events which are on the agenda over the coming year.”

For further news stories on this event visit:

The Plymouth Post: Impressive Scott Ice Sculpture in Plymouth

- Monday 21st March 2011 - An impressive ice monument of Captain Scott will stand in Plymouth’s City Centre, situated on the Piazza in Plymouth’s City Centre, near the Big Screen. Pop by and see us from 10am onwards.

71 years ago, Plymouth was devastated and since then the spirit of Plymouth has been growing from strength to strength. For RESURGAM, “I will rise again”, has since then been the motto endorsed by the city and on March 21st 2011, we would like to invite you to celebrate Plymouth’s spirit, represented by the hero: Captain Robert Flacon Scott. We will be remembering those that fell and those that have had a significant impact upon the city and the people we all are today.

Working with the internationally renowned Hamilton Ice Sculptors, we will be creating an epitaph to Scott out of ice. The mighty sculpture will epitomise the great strength of Scott at the beginning of the Terra Nova Expedition. Over time, naturally this ice will melt, showing the gradual demise of Scott, leading to the fateful death of Plymouth’s hero, as well as representing the melting of the polar ice caps.

This event is part of our ongoing engagement with the community, leading to the International Scott Centenary Expedition 2012.