‘Statue will be a beacon of hope’
Fundraiser for friendship garden to mark city’s role in rebuilding village
A GROUP hoping to create a garden dedicated to international friendship has unveiled the design for a statue on the site.
Lidice Lives – a non-profit organisation dedicated to highlighting Stoke-on-trent’s role in helping rebuild a Czech village destroyed by the Nazis in 1942 – is planning to build the garden at a site off Morley Street in Hanley.
The land – gifted to them by Tesco – is set to feature a rose garden and different pieces of public art.
It is estimated the total cost of the project will be £500,000 – with a crowdfunding campaign set to start in the next few weeks.
Now the design for a centrepiece statue by sculptor Carl Payne has been unveiled at an open day attended by Lord Mayor Chandra Kanneganti and Stoke-on-trent City Council leader Abi Brown.
Carl, from Staffordshire, attended Burslem School of Art.
He previously worked on the Sir Stanley Matthews statue at the bet365 Stadium alongside Andy Edwards and Julian Jeffery, and the Arnold Bennett statue outside the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery with Michael Talbot. Other works include runner Sir Roger Bannister.
The statue, called ‘Legacy’ depicts former city councillor and MP Sir Barnett Stross – who launched the campaign in 1942 – alongside a representation of the miners who raised funds and families in the city and in Lidice.
Alan Gerrard, who set up the Lidice Lives charity alongside wife Cheryl, said he was really pleased with the statue’s design.
Alan, aged 53, said: “Initially we went to Carl with the idea of having a statue of Barnett Stross, but we talked about the Lidice Shall Live campaign
and felt it should reflect the ordinary families in Stokeon-trent who made sacrifices to help raise the funds to rebuild the village.
“It soon became much more. I’m very happy with the design – even though it now means we have to raise more money.”
It is thought the statue will cost up to £250,000 as part of the £500k.
A committee has been set up to steer the overall garden project.
Stoke-on-trent City Council is also involved and recently hoisted the Czech flag on prominent local buildings such as the King’s Hall and Hanley Town Hall to mark the 79th anniversary of the launch of the Lidice Shall Live campaign.
Ray Johnson, of the Staffordshire Film Archive, has made a film to help with the crowdfunding appeal which is expected to start ‘in the next few weeks’.
Alan, from Fenton, said he thought the project would be a ‘beacon of hope’ and fitting tribute to the restoration of the village.
He said: “We’ve got some good people working with us, Ray Johnson is producing a film.
“And it’s not just about Stoke-ontrent, it’s an international affair.
“It will be a beacon of hope to many other communities destroyed and not rebuilt.
“It will celebrate the rebirth of Lidice, something good to come from evil.”
Alan hopes the friendship garden will be completed by September 6, 2022 – the 80th anniversary of the launch of the Lidice Shall Live campaign in Hanley.