Poole Museum fundraises for masthead sculpture homage to carers

A museum is appealing for help to keep a colourful masthead sculpture, created as a homage to carers.

The work is part of a major exhibition at Poole Museum in Dorset, by artist Jason Wilsher-Mills, and was inspired by the museum's collections.

Wilsher-Mills, who is disabled, said the sculpture was a nod to "the unsung heroes of our society... who deserve our recognition and lasting gratitude".

Poole Museum, which is celebrating its first birthday following a major revamp, has already secured nearly £10,000 of funding and is appealing for a further £10,000 to buy the piece.

Ahead of the free exhibition, which runs until 3 January, Wilsher-Mills said: "I've always been drawn to coastal places, and Poole really captured my imagination.

"The figureheads in the museum stayed with me and inspired new work for this show."

Wilsher-Mills, who hails from Yorkshire, suffered a life‑changing illness during his childhood which left him paralysed for a year when he learned to paint using a brush held in his mouth.

He first came to Dorset in 1992 as an art student and, in 2025, he was made a MBE for Services to Art and Disability.

He said: "This modern masthead is dedicated to carers - the unsung heroes of our society.

"As a disabled person, the spotlight often falls on me, but it's carers who deserve our recognition and lasting gratitude.

"The people who cared for me come up a lot in my art.

"There's a tapestry for my mum and dad, who cared for me when I was told by doctors I wouldn't make it to 16 - and here I am at 57.

"We can't do enough to thank and recognise what carers do."

Poole Museum said it had a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to permanently secure this iconic masthead sculpture".

It has so far secured £10,000 from the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund.