Bondville Model Village, Sewerby: ‘Hats off to Wallace and Gromit’ - Owner of Yorkshire model village attraction uses stop motion and AI to bring characters to life

Her family spent months in early 2024 breathing new life into the attraction which was previously run down and overgrown and it officially opened in May that year.

Rachel, from Wakefield, who used to own a chain of nurseries, is inspired by the world around her when creating miniature villagers, landscapes, and businesses for the model attraction.

Since April Fools’ Day 2026, she began using animation technology such as stop motion and AI to bring the characters of the model village to life.

“There’s nothing more magical than bringing something to life Toy Story style; imagining that all the toys come to life when you go home at the end of the day,” Rachel said.

“So I started doing little stop motion movies; hats off to Wallace and Gromit because goodness me, that was a process.

“I was laying on my tummy in the village, in the rain, moving things millimeters apart, taking a picture.

“I did the wheelie bin and the first veteran scene as stop motions, they’re so lovely, absolutely gorgeous, but it’s not feasible for me to do them very regularly because of the time it takes.”

One of the animation techniques Rachel used was assisted by AI technology but it came with its own set of challenges.

“I’m not a techie, I’m old and I just kind of fumble my way through things but I used an app and put a picture in it to see what happens,” she said.

“It was so funny and random in the early days, if it worked and the figure walked across the screen then we’d hit the jackpot but quite often it would do something really random like an explosion of flowers into the picture.

“I got better, I was so determined I just kept practising and learned how to manage it a bit better. I set the story in my mind, take key photographs and bring them to life with some music.”

Rachel’s son Tommy, 16, uses a wheelchair.

He inspired one of the model characters.

“I’ve got a huge special interest in inclusion; one of my sons is a full-time wheelchair user, so it’s something that is very close to my heart,” she said.

“Bringing him up, there were many occasions over the years that have been really tricky and tough as a mum to a boy with special needs.

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“I [created] a scene about a man in a wheelchair who couldn’t get down his street on bin day because the wheelie bins were left in the middle of the pathway.

“This has not been done intentionally but it’s to raise awareness and show people taking the bins out that it has a real impact on people in wheelchairs.

“My son takes himself to school and back every day, it’s amazing and a real milestone for him but on a Friday it’s a nightmare for him because it’s wheelie bin day. From using our own experiences, I try to raise awareness through the village.”

From a girl wearing hearing aids to a veteran, Rachel has used the observations of people who visit the attraction to create miniature characters that everyone can relate to.

“I love to work with our veterans; one of my sons is in the army and it’s something that is very close to my heart, so we have invited all our veterans into Bondville,” she said.

“We’ve got a cenotaph and I depicted a story of a mum and a little boy who were waiting for the soldiers coming home from the war.

“There was a little girl who came and she had pink sparkly hearing aids in and I have a little girl figure wearing a hearing aid, because she doesn’t often see herself reflected in the world around us.

“Same with different ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities; I’ve got a lady with a mobility scooter, I’ve got a wheelchair user all depicted.

“We’ve got a Men’s Mental Health Club in there which people really enjoy, it’s such a focal point.”

Tommy and his family are urging the East Riding Council to make Sewerby Clifftops a more accessible pathway to Bondville Model Village through a petition.