Malcolm Curley, a retiree in his 80s, has been exhibiting his larger than life animal sculptures all around Totnes as part of an ‘Art in the Community Project’. More than 200 of his safari sculptures can be found in Totnes and the surrounding villages, with sculptures on display in the police station, ambulance station, library and the museum garden. Malcolm sculpts a variety of animals – from bears to bees to wild cats. “You name it, I make it!” he says.

He started the project about seven years ago when he made a leopard for his tree, which resulted in requests from his neighbours to make something for their gardens, and the project grew from there.

Malcolm, who lives in the Bridgetown area of Totnes, explained that with the appeals from neighbours, “The Bridgetown Safari was born, which later extended into the heart of Totnes.” It has been a great hit in the community since then, and Malcolm says he is “currently trying to tackle the long waiting list for sculptures requested by individual families in and around Totnes”.

He had a metal fabrication business for over 40 years, where he made “industrial metalwork and... individualised ornate gates and railings”. Malcolm has experience sculpting “in clay as well as wood”, but gradually started focusing on his large-size outdoor sculptures.

When making his animals, he tries his best to use recycled materials, and he says he gets donations from “kind people” who supply him with “their surplus sheets of plywood and paint, etc.” He describes his sculptures as “invariably larger than life, regularly over 2 metres high,” with some projects, such as the Totnes Monster that resides alongside the railway approaching the town, being even larger than this.

Malcolm doesn’t charge for his sculptures, but instead asks people to make a donation of whatever they like directly to a charity of their choice. Malcolm says, “the concept really is to raise a smile here and there, and to contribute a little something to charities.”

His most recent project was two paramedic bears for Totnes Ambulance Station (pictured), but he explains that “many of (his) safari animals and creations have already escaped from the boundaries of South Hams to other areas of Devon… and further afield to Bristol, Dorset, and way beyond.”

Malcolm hopes to continue with his project “for as long as (his) health allows and a supply of materials can be scavenged”, but it has been challenging over the past few years since he had a pacemaker fixed. He says, “I can no longer fabricate a metal ‘skeleton’ as welding interferes with a pacemaker’s functioning, so (he has) had to rethink how to give my sculptures a strong core.”

Pictures of Malcolm’s work can be found on his Facebook page.