The Portrait Benches project commemorates local heroes nominated by their communities by immortalising them as life-sized steel figures. You'll find them on National Cycle Network routes across the UK. This latest iteration of the project is in celebration of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
Portrait Bench figures can be found on National Cycle Network routes all across the UK.
As part of the Portrait Benches project, we're celebrating Alison Drake MBE, a local champion and the former chair of the Castleford Heritage Trust.
The Castleford Greenway connects the town with Wakefield to the south-west, taking you through some of the area's best countryside.
To mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, local communities nominated heroes from their hometowns.
These heroes have been immortalised as steel figures along the National Cycle Network.
Explore the National Cycle Network
Find walking, wheeling and cycling routes near youCelebrating Castleford's local heroes
Alison Drake MBE
Alison Drake MBE was chairwoman of Castleford Heritage Trust and a champion of the local community.
Described by many as a force of nature, she worked tirelessly to make the town a better place for everyone in it.
Her efforts secured funding for redevelopment of the historic Queen’s Mill and the creation of the Castleford Footbridge, amongst other projects.
Alison sadly passed away in 2019.
She will remain an inspiration to the next generation of community champions.
Henry Moore
Henry Moore was an English artist and sculptor born in Castleford in 1898.
He trained to be a teacher and served in the British Army during WWI before studying at Leeds School of Art, and later at London’s Royal College of Art.
As one of the most important British artists of the twentieth century, Moore is renowned for his semi-abstract monumental bronzes, which can be seen all over the world.