A memorial paying tribute to the lives of the 11 men who lost their lives in the Shoreham Airshow crash has been unveiled.

A series of arches, each individually designed in tribute to the victims, have been erected  on the riverbank near the Shoreham Toll Bridge.

The 11 men died when a vintage Hawker Hunter jet crashed into the A27 and exploded during the airshow in August 2015.

The arches each have a unique tribute to the men who died, with some bearing the name of the victim, and others featuring some personal touches and interests of that person.

The concept of the arches was chosen by the families of the victims and were created by Portslade-based artists Jane Fordham and David Parfitt.

David Parfitt and Jane Fordham

David said:

“It’s occupied almost every waking moment of our day, to say we’ve been immersed in the project would be an understatement.

“We’re in a privileged position, we’ve spoken to an awful lot of people, and I am aware of exactly how deeply into the lives of Shoreham people that day has gone.”

Jane said:

“We started off by saying we wanted to create a space for people, and we feel we’ve done that.

“We’ve created somewhere we hope people will do what they need to do, to grieve in their own way and contemplate in their own way, I feel pleased we’ve managed to do that.”

The next stage of the process is the installment of a number of lights, which will be suspended on reeds on the other side of the river, which will then be seen by looking through the arches.

Neil Parkin, leader of Adur District Council, said:

“It’s absolutely breath-taking, having seen it in drawings and scale models, actually seeing it in the flesh.

“It’s very important for the families, but also the local community.

“There are a lot of people in this community who were very badly affected by the tragedy, and it’s a place for them to come and think and reflect.”