A farmer who took up metal sculpture while recovering from a heart problem is taking his “most ambitious creation” on a UK tour to raise money for charity.
Steven Nesbitt, who farms in Winston, County Durham, welded together hundreds of metres of steel chain to create a life-sized metal bull.
He had never made a sculpture before, but needed something to occupy his mind after he had to step back from farming after developing a heart issue last year.
The farmer will now take his towering sculpture to a host of agriculture shows and events, including Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm, before auctioning the bull off.
Nesbitt, who is well known in the North East farming community for having rare Hungarian Racka sheep on his farm, said developing the heart problem was “life changing”.
“I couldn’t walk up a hill, I couldn’t do my farming work,” he said.
“It was like having a rug pulled from underneath me.”
Steven Nesbitt had never attempted to make anything artistic before
He had made metal gates and hurdles but had never attempted anything artistic before.
He started out with a sheep and other smaller farm animals until a friend joked he should create a life-size bull.
Crafting his cattle-inspired creation was not straightforward, Nesbitt said.
“It was difficult, I kept changing things. I didn’t like the shape of the neck so I cut it off with a grinder and dumped it outside my workshop.
“I made countless changes to the head, nose and ears.”
The giant metal bull is heading to farms and shows across the UK, raising money for charity
The bull, which has not been named yet, will visit farms and agricultural shows over the next few months, including a stop at Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire on 10-11 June.
There will be competitions where visitors have to guess the bull’s weight and the artwork will eventually be auctioned off at Stirling Bull Sales in Scotland in October.
All the money raised will go to support the British Heart Foundation and the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
“I’m really delighted and proud of how it’s turned out,” Nesbitt said. “I just hope it makes a lot of money for charity.”
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