Judy Williams Award - The Award

The Judy Williams Award has been created by Charles Bray. Mr Bray was commissioned and briefed on the circumstances leading to the concept of the award, and has let us have some insight into his thoughts during the creative process.

"I have considerable sympathy with the aims and deliberations relating to this Award as when I was a similar age to Judy I was also heavily involved with climbing, potholing and canoeing and am well aware of the excitement, pleasure and sense of achievement such activities can bring. Her untimely death brings home the sad fact that almost inevitably there is a measure of danger associated with such activities which very occasionally brings tragic results.

I have tried to capture the sense of achievement and the constant striving to reach some sort of pinnacle which can play a most important and rewarding part in many aspects of life.

In order to reach such a pinnacle there are usually sequences of work and endeavour from which one reaches a layer of satisfaction almost like a flash of light which then serves as a platform for the next steps to the top. These steps are suggested by the breaks in the vertical lengths of glass which will reflect glimpses of bright light.

The Award is in the form of a pinnacle and the various elements relating in particular to the endeavours of Judy are represented by the granite base, the vertical slate strata, glass coloured and formed to suggest the turbulent and sometimes murky waters of the river and some light and transparent glass to represent the sky.

Whilst its purpose is that of an Award by which we should remember a very brave and adventurous young lady I hope that it will also be seen as a meaningful piece of sculpture by an artist who also has considerable concern and sympathy for the thoughts which have brought it to life"