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The people of Newcastle and Gateshead are preparing to celebrate the tenth birthday of their beloved Angel of the North. A year of events are planned to celebrate ten years of the iconic sculpture, which was designed by the celebrated artist Antony Gormley.

One of the first events will see ten lucky couples win the chance to renew their wedding vows at the foot of the 66ft Angel, which overlooks the A1 motorway and the main East Coast rail line. The loved-up couples will renew their vows in a special ceremony conducted by the Bishop of Jarrow, the Right Reverend Mark Bryant, in the spring. He said: 'What better way to celebrate than to renew your wedding vows in the shadow of the amazing sculpture? It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get really involved in the celebrations.'

A thousand helium-filled balloons will also be launched from the Angel, which will help local people to remember their deceased loved ones. There will also be a number of other events to celebrate the much-loved sculpture's milestone this year, including a massive street party in June, which organisers believe will be the highlight of the summer.

Gateshead Council commissioned the Angel of the North at a cost of 800,000. Mick Henry of Gateshead Council, said: "When we first proposed the Angel of the North, some people failed to understand the vision behind the project. We remained confident that it was the right thing to do for Gateshead and that the Angel of the North would help bring about the transformation in the borough that we all wanted. Ten years on and the Angel has directly led to the likes of BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and The Sage Gateshead, bringing with them millions of pounds of investment and hundreds of jobs."

Antony Gormley's design for the Angel of the North beat proposals from a number of international artists. He believes that the celebrated sculpture changed the face of public art. He said: 'The old idea of art only belonging in museums or being for rich people got completely overturned. The Angel, in some ways, was the agenda setter for that. The fact that the Angel is rarely alone suggests it has become part of everyday life for the people of the North East. I think that's the highest test of success.'

The Angel of the North is one of the UK's best-known sculptures and is seen by an estimated 90,000 people every day, which amounts to a massive 33 million people per year.

The people of Newcastle and Gateshead are preparing to celebrate the tenth birthday of their beloved Angel of the North. A year of events are planned to celebrate ten years of the iconic sculpture, which was designed by the celebrated artist Antony Gormley.

One of the first events will see ten lucky couples win the chance to renew their wedding vows at the foot of the 66ft Angel, which overlooks the A1 motorway and the main East Coast rail line. The loved-up couples will renew their vows in a special ceremony conducted by the Bishop of Jarrow, the Right Reverend Mark Bryant, in the spring. He said: 'What better way to celebrate than to renew your wedding vows in the shadow of the amazing sculpture? It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get really involved in the celebrations.'

A thousand helium-filled balloons will also be launched from the Angel, which will help local people to remember their deceased loved ones. There will also be a number of other events to celebrate the much-loved sculpture's milestone this year, including a massive street party in June, which organisers believe will be the highlight of the summer.

Gateshead Council commissioned the Angel of the North at a cost of 800,000. Mick Henry of Gateshead Council, said: "When we first proposed the Angel of the North, some people failed to understand the vision behind the project. We remained confident that it was the right thing to do for Gateshead and that the Angel of the North would help bring about the transformation in the borough that we all wanted. Ten years on and the Angel has directly led to the likes of BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and The Sage Gateshead, bringing with them millions of pounds of investment and hundreds of jobs."

Antony Gormley's design for the Angel of the North beat proposals from a number of international artists. He believes that the celebrated sculpture changed the face of public art. He said: 'The old idea of art only belonging in museums or being for rich people got completely overturned. The Angel, in some ways, was the agenda setter for that. The fact that the Angel is rarely alone suggests it has become part of everyday life for the people of the North East. I think that's the highest test of success.'

The Angel of the North is one of the UK's best-known sculptures and is seen by an estimated 90,000 people every day, which amounts to a massive 33 million people per year.

Sources:
BBC
IC Newcastle