A sleeping head sculpture inspired by artist Constantin Brancusi\'s famous \'Sleeping Muse\', has been created from clunch limestone by David Free (pictured above with his work), a mature student at the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield. The stone came from Cemex UK, who have awarded the first ever grant from their Cemex UK Foundation to the University of Hertfordshire. The Foundation has been set up to support community projects related to the company\'s operations. The grant will be used by the art department to fund a small marquee so students can work outside with projects such as stone carvings.

Clunch is a traditional building material in Eastern England used to construct such notable buildings as Ely Cathedral and Queen\'s College, Cambridge, as well as many more modest structures. The clunch used by David to create his sculpture came from Cemex UK\'s Barrington Quarry in Cambridgeshire. The stone is used by Cemex for making cement.

David Free is taking an open studies course in art at the university and has named this first sculpture, which he finished this month (March), \'After Brancusi\'. Four fellow students on the 12-strong course also selected clunch for their sculptures. Visiting lecturer and professional sculptor Paul Bainbridge, who visited Barrington quarry to select the stone, says clunch is ideal for beginners because it is easier to carve than marble not to mention less expensive.

Cemex employees will be able to admire \'After Brancusi\' throughout the year as it will be on loan from the artist for display at the company\'s head office in Thorpe, Surrey.