CAMPAIGNFOR TOMPRYCESTATUE
Fundstargetedto rememberwelshace
A £50,000 campaign has been launched to create a permanent life-size statue as a memorial to Tom Pryce in the centre of Denbigh in North Wales.
Pryce was the son of a local policeman and was brought up in the small village of Nantglyn just outside Denbigh. Pryce rose up through the single-seater ranks and lived in Kent while working as an instructor at Brands Hatch. He notably raced for the Royale manufacturer and made it to Formula 1 on talent alone.
He was the first Welshman to win an F1 race when he triumphed in the 1975 Race of Champions at Brands Hatch. He was destined for even greater success when he was killed in a freak accident during the 1977 South African Grand Prix when racing for the Shadow F1 team. He scored two grand prix podiums before the tragic accident at Kyalami and remains the most successful racing driver to emerge from Wales.
Supporters of the memorial project include Lord Dafydd Elis Thomas, the Welsh Government minister for culture, tourism and sport. Speaking to the Denbighshire Free
Press, Thomas said: “I think it’s very important that the memory of Tom lives on, especially in this area, but also that we’re able to emphasise the importance of role models and heroes like him. It would be very appropriate for there to be a permanent memorial in Denbigh.”
The initiative for the memorial came after the success of an exhibition at the town’s museum to celebrate the local hero.