St Leger 250: Threads of the Leger
Public Art Installation

Created to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the St Leger, Threads of the Leger transforms community creativity into two monumental racecourse-scale artworks.

The project began with a series of intergenerational workshops delivered across Doncaster, where participants from Denaby Main Primary Academy, St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Mercury College and The Royal Care Home, Rossington explored racing silks, colour, pattern, personal and local identity, and their relationship with the St Leger and Doncaster Racecourse. Together, these sessions generated a rich collection of drawings, symbols, motifs, colours and stories inspired by both the race and the surrounding communities.

Working carefully with this original material, I then begun remixing and weaving elements into my own visual language. Retaining the character and spirit of the original work, bringing their stories, ideas and artwork together with my own to create two larger, connected compositions.

Presented as a pair of racecourse-scale installations, the artworks create a visual dialogue across the landscape, celebrating both the history of the world’s oldest Classic horse race and the people, places and communities that continue to shape its future.

In doing so, Threads of the Leger continues the racecourse’s tradition of marking landmark anniversaries through temporary celebratory installations, reimagining this legacy through bold contemporary graphic art.

The workshops were developed and delivered in creative partnership with co-artist Karen Hall and commissioned by Right Up Our Street as part of the St Leger 250 celebrations.

Creative direction and artwork: Andy Welland
Workshops: Andy Welland + Karen Hall
Commissioned by: Heritage Doncaster + National Lottery Heritage Fund