Artist Katie Paterson joins Whitstable Biennale with First There is a Mountain project

A mountain range made entirely from sand is to be built on a stretch of Kent's coastline and families in the county are being asked to help.

The project called First There is a Mountain will see a north Kent beach transformed into an enormous sand sculpture as participants mould the area into thousands of mountains of sand to form micro-geologies.

Created by Scottish artist Katie Paterson, First There is a Mountain is being launched in Kent - at Leysdown Beach on the Isle of Sheppey on March 31 - ahead of a seven month UK tour of coastal locations.

A unique set of buckets, shaped like some of the world's most well-known mountains, have been designed and made for the project which the public will be able to use along with spades to build the sand mountains between 3pm and 5pm.

Each pail is a scale model of one of five mountains; Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, Mount Shasta in America, Asia's Mount Fuji, Italy's Stromboli and Uluru (Ayre's Rock) in Australia.

First There Is A Mountain hopes to poetically connect the world's mountains to the smallest grains of sand and is described as an invitation for people to slow down and consider the connectedness of the world, from shifting coastlines to eroding shorelines.

The artist is said to have carefully selected each mountain range via exacting research, using data from NASA’s Shuttle Radar Topography Mission and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency whilst the sand pails being used for construction are made from 100% fermented plant starch and are fully bio-compostable.

At the end of the tour, they will be composted, reabsorbing back into the natural environment from which they were created.

The unusual project has been brought to Kent as part of arts festival Whitstable Biennale, which has been expanding beyond the popular coastal town over the last 10 years and now runs projects from Whitstable to Dartford.

As first hosts, Biennale organisers have confirmed Katie Paterson will be in Leysdown for the launch on Sunday, March 31, to introduce her project and launch the location's ambitious project.

People of all ages and abilities are welcome to join the build and activity sheets for children will be available. Anyone keen to take part in building the mountain range, which is being billed as 'a great day out on Mothering Sunday - can turn up at any point between 3pm and 5pm to join in or to simply watch the beach gradually be transformed.

There are also plans to run free coaches from Sittingbourne and Sheppey to help people reach the event, alternatively there is available car parking nearby.

To learn more, book a place on a coach, or to support the event by signing up as a guide or volunteer please click here.