A permanent memorial to Bury’s much loved entertainer Victoria Wood will be built in the town centre.
It will be in Library Gardens in Silver Street on what used to be a fountain but has more recently been used as one of the Bury in Bloom exhibits.
The location was agreed following a meeting between Councillor Rishi Shori, leader of Bury Council, and Chris Foote-Wood, Victoria’s brother.
They felt that the Library Gardens site was perfect, in the town’s cultural quarter, directly opposite Bury Library, Bury Art Museum and Sculpture Centre and the new Fusilier Museum.
Victoria was born in Prestwich and the family then lived in Bury, with Victoria attending Bury Grammar School for Girls.
Cllr Shori said: “Victoria was a national treasure and a major talent in a variety of areas – actor, writer, comedian and singer-songwriter. We feel it’s only right that there should be a fitting tribute to her in the borough in which she was born.
“It was great to meet and discuss the options with her brother Chris, who was very keen that the monument should be in Bury. This is the ideal location, and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to identify a site which ticks all the boxes. I think this will become a tourist attraction in its own right.”
Mr Foote-Wood has launched a Crowdfunding site to raise the money needed to build the memorial – crowdfunding.justgiving.com/chris-footewood
Cllr Shori added: “As a former council leader himself, Mr Foote-Wood understands fully the financial constraints that local authorities are under and local taxpayers’ priorities. So while we won’t be paying for the sculpture, we will support it in other ways. We’ve put aside this site, we’ll help with the procedural formalities, and help to find a suitable sculptor to make the piece. We will also maintain the sculpture after it is built.”
Nearer the time, the public will be asked to vote for one of two options as to what the statue should look like: perhaps Victoria seated at a piano (as in her famous song “Let’s Do it”) or in mac and beret (‘Ave you seen ‘er?’).
Chris Foote-Wood said: “I am delighted that the council has identified a suitable site for Victoria’s statue, the Library Gardens on Silver Street. I know this area very well, as I would often walk along Silver Street on my way to school.
“Cllr Shori and arts and museums head Tony Trehy have been very helpful and I would like to thank them and all the councillors who have expressed support for this project, which I fully expect to be completed by May/June next year. I am sure that Victoria’s statue will be very popular with her numerous fans and will attract many visitors to the town.”
