A SOUTHEND sculptor has hand made a life-size Star Wars creation for a themed event taking place this Saturday at The Victoria Shopping Centre in Southend.

The Feel the Force event will feature ‘little jedi’ light sabre workshops, balloon modelling and a chance to meet some of the Star Wars characters.

Dave Taylor, 44, of Southend, who previously crafted a life-size Star Wars X-Wing model last year, has set his hands on making the iconic speeder bike as seen in Return of the Jedi.

Dave said: “I was nine when I first saw the speeder bike and it blew me away.

“I’ve waited 35 years to sit on one and now - along with the rest of the Star Wars fans of Southend - I can.

“Last year was a huge success, so I hope the force is just as strong for this year’s event as well. It’s been great bringing such well-known designs to life and seeing people of all ages get so much enjoyment out of it.”

The impressive model took Dave less than a month to build, with him mostly working on it on and off, until the last two weeks where he worked solidly on it.

Dave, who has always been into art, undertook a sculpture degree as well as teaching art before working on his sculptures full time.

The art enthusiast previously made sculptures for the Cliffs Pavilion theatre in Southend, which recommended Dave to the marketing team at The Victoria Shopping Centre as they desperately searched for a Stars Wars sculpture for the event.

Dave added: “If you love Star Wars or have kids who love it, come on down it’s entirely free and you can have your picture taken sitting on the speeder bike, which is not every day you get to do that!”

The Stars Wars event will take place on Saturday from 12pm to 4pm, at The Victoria Shopping Centre.