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Farmer's giant beach message calls for peace

Jonathan MorrisSouth West
Mike Wynne-Powell This aerial photograph shows a small rocky island connected to a wide sandy beach at low tide, with a large white hotel or resort complex and several smaller buildings clustered near the shoreline. Across the beach, tyre tracks have been used to create a huge piece of sand art spelling “PEACE”, with decorative looping patterns around the letters.Mike Wynne-Powell
Lines in the sand: John Tucker's message on the beach at Bigbury

A farmer has used his tractor to write a giant message of peace in sand ahead of Remembrance Sunday.

John Tucker, who has been creating large-scale beach artworks for about 20 years, carved the word peace into the sand at Bigbury-on-Sea, in Devon.

Reflecting on memories of seeing soldiers heading off to serve in the Falklands War, Tucker said it had been "very upsetting".

Speaking on his 82nd birthday, he said the motivation behind this year's artwork was simple: "We want peace. The most important thing is to have peace."

Mike Wynne-Powell This image shows a blue Ford tractor driving across a sandy beach, with a person in a high-visibility yellow jacket, dark hat and yellow boots operating it. Attached behind the tractor is a metal cultivating implement whose tines are dragging through the sand, leaving parallel lines and patterns.Mike Wynne-Powell
John Tucker has been creating beach art at Bigbury for more than 20 years

The beach artist said he first wrote the design on a piece of cardboard, checked the condition of the sand and made sure there were no areas of sinking sand before setting off with his tractor.

He has been producing the artworks at Bigbury for decades and included a heart in the sand for his wife in 2002, one of his earliest designs.

Over the years, he has marked a range of occasions, including the death of Queen Elizabeth II and previous Remembrance events.

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