Sculptor creates stunning six feet-high mermaid out of Seaham sea-glass - and is hoping it can go to a good cause

Paul Winfield, 59, from Seaham, has been a sculptor all his life, creating a variety of pieces, including a church out of seashells, but his latest creation has been one of his biggest yet.

After picking up some sea-glass from his local Seaham beach, Paul decided to create a life-size, six feet-high mermaid, and is delighted with how it turned out.

Paul, who is a full time carer for his and has lived in Seaham all his life, has been creating from a young age and took up the hobby of using sea-glass in recent years.

He said: “I started picking sea glass up from Seaham beach a few years ago and was just making a number of things with it, but decided to try something different with the mermaid and create a lifesize sculpture.

Now, Paul is hoping the mermaid can do some good, by donating it to a local charity or using it to raise some money for a good cause.

He added: “I’m not sure where the idea came from but I just rolled with it and it ended up turning out really well. It’s a bit 6ft in height, which is one of the biggest things I’ve ever made. I’d love it to go somewhere where it can be appreciated and maybe even raise some money for a good cause.”

Sea-glass from Seaham is hugely popular with collectors, and has been found on beaches along the coastline in varying quantities for decades.

Smooth coloured pebbles of glass are commonplace on Seaham’s beaches due to the glass factories which operated in the area in the Edwardian and Victorian times.

Glass factories in Seaham and Sunderland created tens of thousands of hand-blown bottles every day, in different colours and designs – with large amounts of waste glass dumped straight into the North Sea, where over time they were shaped by the elements into smooth pebbles, before washing ashore.

Any charity or cause interested in the mermaid is asked to contact Paul on [email protected].