Steelworks site sculpture unveiled

A giant sculpture of a steelworker has been unveiled on the former Ravenscraig site in tribute to many people who lost their lives in the Scottish iron and steelmaking industry.

Designed by Andy Scott, the Steelman stands five metres (16ft 5in) tall and weighs nearly two tonnes.

It depicts a worker with a stream of molten steel pouring from his hand and sparking off the ground.

Fundraising for the project started three years ago, 20 years after the closure of the Ravenscraig steelworks site in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, brought an end to 120 years of bulk steelmaking in Scotland.

Mr Scott – who has designed some of the country’s best-known sculptures, including the Kelpies at Falkirk – said he had a particular connection with his latest project.

“When I was first approached maybe four years ago there was an immediate association with my work with metals and that’s what really drew me to it,” the sculptor said.

“The fundraising was difficult but we stuck with it and that association with the material really kept me with it.

“I guess you could say there was a deeper-rooted and more heartfelt association with the subject matter.”

Dozens of former steelworkers gathered at the entrance to Ravenscraig sports centre for the unveiling of the memorial.

Terry Currie, who worked with British Steel for 17 years, described it as a “magnificent structure”.

Picture: HEMEDIA. Andy Scott beside his work the Steelman.