On Saturday 10 October, Hannah Gillespie, a thirty year old trainee teacher from Standish in Wigan, will become one of the 2,400 people from around the UK to participate in Antony Gormley’s One and Other project.
Hannah said: “I live near to Crosby Beach where Antony Gormley has his Another Place artwork with the iron men. I had also seen his ‘terracotta army’ in Devon, so I had to try and be part of one of his projects myself.”
The project, which began on 6 July 2009, involves members of the public spending an hour each alone on the empty fourth plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square.
During her hour, Hannah will be raising awareness of international development charity ActionAid, a charity she has supported for many years. Having sponsored a child with ActionAid for seven years, Hannah will be using her time on the plinth to encourage more people to sponsor children in the developing world.
Hannah said: "I can’t sing or dance so I thought that raising awareness of ActionAid would be the best use of my time on the plinth."
Hannah will be releasing an ActionAid balloon every minute that she is on the plinth - sixty balloons in total. Each balloon will have a label that people who catch them can fill in and return to ActionAid to find out more about child sponsorship.
Hannah said: “We are in a time of economic hardship- but what we are feeling is only the tip of the iceberg compared to what people in the developing world go through everyday. I feel blessed that I have the life I live and think it is important to support those less fortunate.”
Scared of heights, Hannah will have an unlikely form of support on the plinth - her best friend will be sending up a cardboard cut out of herself for company.
Hannah said: “I’m terrified about going up and I’m not so good with heights, but I am looking forward to putting my time to a good cause like ActionAid and being part of history. I won’t ever get the chance to do this again and it will definitely be something to tell the grandchildren.”