Campaign for £1.5m statue in honour of TV’S Gascoigne
BAMBER GASCOIGNE is set to get the royal treatment, as plans are announced for a statue in his honour created by the artist who designed the image of the Queen that is used on coins.
Gascoigne, who hosted the University Challenge quiz for 25 years, from its inception in 1962, died in February, and arrangements have now been made for a tribute to the television presenter.
A fundraising campaign aims to secure £1.5million to pay for a life-sized statue of Gascoigne crafted by his former neighbour, Raphael Maklouf, the sculptor responsible for creating the image of the Queen that was used on coins from 1985 to 1997.
Joanna Lumley has backed the campaign, saying: “It seems to me that Bamber encompassed everything that is good: he was recklessly generous, extremely funny.”
The actress added that the fundraiser reflects “how much Bamber cared about people and their talent, and how much we cared for him”.
The statue will be placed at West Horsley Place in Surrey, a 14th-century estate that Gascoigne inherited from a relative before transferring ownership to the a trust.
The trust then granted a lease to the Grange Park Opera which now occupies the site and is running the fundraising campaign, money from which will also pay for improvements to the opera’s facilities on the estate.
The company hopes to continue Gascoigne’s legacy of promoting the arts, with new dressing rooms, solar panels and heating systems.
A scheme offering £15 opera tickets to those living in nearby parishes has also been devised as a way to honour Gascoigne’s generosity in giving away West Horsley Place, and to increase access to classical music.
His widow, Christina, said the plans will be a fitting tribute, adding: “Bamber and I had a fantastic 62 years together, full of friends and adventures.
“It was 50 years ago that he hosted University Challenge and that is what everyone remembers.
“But it is his opera house that has been so precious to him in these past five years, and he would be delighted that thousands of visitors are sharing the beauty of the place and the opera, both of which he greatly loved.”