A giant whale sculpture made entirely from recycled plastic by a Coleg Llandrillo art student is set to make waves after being donated to Anglesey Sea Zoo.

The two-metre-long sculpture, named Humphrey, was created by Art and Design Foundation student Jodie Roberts as her final year project to highlight the growing problem of plastic pollution and the importance of environmental sustainability.

Using discarded plastic collected from a variety of sources, including a local Asda supermarket, Jodie wanted to create an artwork that would grab people’s attention and encourage them to think about the amount of plastic used in everyday life.

“I wanted to create something really big and meaningful,” she said. “If it was small, it wouldn’t be noticeable. At this size, I hope it makes people stop and realise just how much plastic we use.”

Although Jodie specialises in textiles, the ambitious project pushed her far beyond her comfort zone.

Humphrey was built using recycled water pipes, hula hoops and garden mesh rescued from her father’s rubbish bin before being wrapped in layers of recycled plastic using a heat gun.

She then used intricate textile techniques, including trapunto, to create the whale’s lifelike surface, while the striking glass eyes were handmade in Coleg Llandrillo’s specialist glass workshop.

“The foundation course is all about learning and pushing your own boundaries,” said Jodie. “Working with glass and plastic was completely new to me. It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever done creatively.”

The whale wasn’t the only environmentally-themed artwork on display during the college’s end-of-year exhibition.

Jodie also created a series of interactive hanging jellyfish made from recycled plastic, designed to make visitors reflect on their own plastic consumption. The installation impressed judges and was awarded Best in Show.

“The idea is for people to walk through them and almost get ‘stung’ by their own everyday plastic use,” she explained.

Finding a home for the enormous sculpture after graduation could have proved difficult, but Jodie already had the perfect location in mind.

“I knew he wouldn’t fit in my car or my house,” she laughed.

“I frequently visit Anglesey Sea Zoo with my little niece and love their art displays, so I contacted them to see if they’d accept him as a donation. I was amazed when they said yes. It’s brilliant that people will be able to visit him there.”

Humphrey will soon go on permanent display at Anglesey Sea Zoo, where thousands of visitors will be able to see the striking sculpture and its powerful environmental message.

With her studies now complete, Jodie is planning to launch her own creative business and begin selling her artwork, building on the success of a project that has already found a lasting home by the sea.

The project also showcases the creative opportunities available at Coleg Llandrillo, where students are encouraged to experiment with new materials and techniques while developing practical and artistic skills for careers in the creative industries.