Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

The metal sculpture will be eight metres tall and will feature hundreds of flowers to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s 70-year reign.

A sculptor from Peterborough is creating a bespoke piece for Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant at Buckingham Palace this June.

Jeni Cairns, 45, from Coates, has been commissioned to create a metal sculpture to celebrate the Queen’s 70-year reign.

It will be unveiled as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant - the finale of the bank holiday weekend’s celebrations on Sunday, June 5.

Jeni Cairns busy in her workshop where she is creating a bespoke sculpture for Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant.

“The pageant is all about things which have been important to the queen throughout her life,” Jeni said.

“I was so proud and excited to be asked.”

Owner's emotional plea to find missing 15-month-old cat Lenny last seen in Whitt...

Design of the sculpture inspired by ‘symbolic’ flowers

Jeni’s sculpture will be eight metres tall and inspired by flowers.

Jeni’s sculpture will be eight metres tall, four metres wide and four metres deep.

She is midway through creating the sculpture - which will be on a float when it is paraded down The Mall towards Buckingham Palace as part of the pageant.

“I was asked to come up with some ideas and I chose flowers - as lots of flowers have symbolic meaning,” she said. “They’re often used in all sorts of ceremonies - so it’s a universal theme.

“They can be symbols of peace, regeneration, transformation - a belief in hope. There will be three birds of peace flying out of the top - which are also very symbolic and have been used throughout time."

Jeni chose flowers as her muse for her sculpture as they have symbolic meaning.

The metal sculpture will be made out of aluminium and stainless steel.

“Aluminium is light - so it’s a good material to use for longevity, but also because of its weight,” she said.

“It’s not quite finished yet. I was asked in February before getting the go-ahead in March. I'm about two thirds of the way through.

“I've made about 200 flowers of all different sizes - and this week I’ve been welding stems and branches, which are going to form part of the structure.”

The Platinum Pageant, which is taking place on 5 June, will tell the story of The Queen’s 70-year reign and our transforming society.

Artists have been commissioned to interpret different chapters of this narrative in their own way.

Queen’s Platinum Jubilee 2022: Peterborough sculptor commissioned to create bespoke sculpture for pageant

Design of the sculpture inspired by ‘symbolic’ flowers