A group of north Norfolk artists won a £5,000 commission to create a piece of public artwork.

Fakenham & Wells Times: A sketch of what the dancing hare artwork at Watton will look like. Picture: Holkham ForgeA sketch of what the dancing hare artwork at Watton will look like. Picture: Holkham Forge (Image: Archant)

The 6ft-high dancing hare will be placed at Abel Homes' new residential development comprising 98 family homes in Watton.

The homebuilder has commissioned the Holkham Forge Partnership to produce the artwork following a competition to come up with a hare-themed piece to be placed at the firm's Hare's Green site, on the edge of Watton Green.

The commission is part of Abel Homes' ongoing public art programme, which has already seen nine pieces of public art installed in the county, all made by Norfolk artists.

The brief for the commission was to come up with a piece of artwork with a hare theme, reflecting the site's name and the hare shown jumping over a barrel on Watton's town sign ('wat' was the local dialect name for hare, and 'ton' or 'tun' a barrel).

Maggie Abel of Abel Homes said: "This is the third time we have worked with the Holkham Forge Partnership, after they created pieces for sites in Swaffham and Little Melton. The dancing hare is striking, light-hearted and attractive, and will lend a real sense of identity to the new community.

"These public artworks have been successful in starting to bind the threads of new communities together, through sparking conversations and giving a sense of shared ownership - as well as a focal point to stop and chat.

"As a locally-based company, it is important for us to support the county's artistic community."

The sculpture, which will be sited on a piece of public open space on the new development, will be unveiled in the spring of next year.

In 2007 Abel Homes committed to commissioning a new piece of public artwork for each of the sites on which it builds new homes. Nine such commissions have been unveiled, including a life-sized shire horse collage made from found materials by renowned wildlife artist Harriet Mead at the firm's hus46 site, also in Watton. Other artworks have been installed in Drayton and Old Catton, Shipdham, Hingham, Little Melton and Swaffham.