Amateur artist on display at Royal Academy

Anger at an EDL march in Peterborough inspired an amateur artist to create a sculpture which is now on display at the Royal Academy.

Peter Clay (68) had done nothing artistic for around 40 years when he joined protests against the controversial English Defence League. He recalled: “These people so annoyed me I wanted to do things to emphasise tolerance.” Peter of Apsley Way, Longthorpe, has now designed the BookAxe which is part of the 250th anniversary edition of the Summer Exhibition - the world’s oldest open submission exhibition. The bronze design features an axe cutting a mobile phone in half on top of a book. The sculpture is now on display until the middle of August. Peter added: “It’s quite an honour for someone who is not a professional artist.”