‘Absolutely amazing’ response for lion’s return
COMMUNITY WELCOMES THE REPAIRED STATUE BACK TO THE SPOT WHERE IT HAS PROWLED FOR MORE THAN 70 YEARS
THE community group behind a bid to get a Weelsby Woods lion statue repaired after devastating damage has spoken of its astonishment at the overwhelming response.
“Lion” was reinstated to its rightful spot at the entrance to the woods after a fundraising drive to cover its restoration, spearheaded by the Friends of Weelsby Woods. Visitors were quick to respond to the statue’s return, with youngsters wanting to climb onto the stone beast and to have photographs taken, just as generations before them have done. Jemmima Edwards, vice-chair of the Friends of Weelsby Woods, said the reinstalling of the lion had brought a huge lift. “It’s a relief, to be honest,” she said.
“The response has been phenomenal. It is absolutely amazing, to say we are such a small community group, that we can impact so many people.
“It’s really lovely for people to come up and tell you how much it means. They have been looking at it and sitting on it. It’s what people have always done and it’s nice to give something back to the town that was taken from us.”
The iconic statue – one of twin lions that have guarded the entrance to Weelsby Woods nature reserve since the 1950s – was badly damaged after a car crashed into it last year. The Friends raised a staggering £10,000 within a week to pay for the repairs, with money donated from as far away as Australia, where people have spoken of their own recollections of the lions or of family connections to the figures that have been in the town, albeit in different locations, for 148 years. Booths Stonemasonry, of Lincoln, have had Lion in their care for months, helping to give him three new paws and also a new face. Jemmima said: “When the lions went for refurbishment in 2006 – our group didn’t exist then – they were given Greek-style faces. “I think it’s why people are not so happy with this new face because they don’t match. When the stonemasons got Lion this time, they said they couldn’t make a Greek face for it because it’s a Victorian lion.
“They spent a lot of time researching Victorian lion statue styles. We don’t own the lions, they are in the duty of care of the council and we have spoken to them about the potential to change the face of the other lion to match. We have had no decision on whether that is a yes or a no yet, but I am hopeful.”
Jemmima hoped the lions would “just become part of the background again”.
“It’s comforting to know they are just always there,” she said. “When the crash happened, I genuinely got upset that Lion had been damaged and I know other people were very emotional and there were
people p crying.”
One local resident who has a close cl affinity with the lions is Teres-Marie Te Cass, who paid a visit vi to the reinstated statue with her he young granddaughter. Teres-Marie Te said: “I lived not far from fro the Weelsby Woods when I was a little girl and they have always been there for as long I can remember really.
“A few months ago when I saw one of them had been sprayed with blue and green paint, I was so upset about it. I belong to a poetry group and I wrote a poem about them and what they mean to people.
“I saw on Facebook about the new lion coming back and I went with my little granddaughter. “Last time I went with her she was a bit scared but this time she sat on the lion.”