Incredible life-size Captain Sir Tom Moore statue by Leeds man set for Thorpe Park grand reveal

A Leeds artistic creator is revealing his life-size statue of Captain Tom to help 'immortalise' the NHS hero before it is moved to the birthplace of the Keighley fundraiser.

Tony Clark, from Colton, in Leeds, created the sculpture, along with fellow creative and friend Keith Sharratt, in honour of Captain Tom, who raised more than £30m for the NHS in 2020 by walking 100 laps of his garden patio and was knighted by the Queen in July last year.

The life-size creation will be revealed at The Springs retail and leisure destination at Thorpe Park, in Leeds, this Saturday, May 1, before it is 'potentially' positioned at the NHS hero’s birthplace in Keighley by Bradford City Council.

Mr Clark said he began the process of creating the bronze statue - which has been given the title The Walk of Hope - in April last year following a phone call with friend, Keith Sharratt.

The sculpture was handcrafted in Indonesia and cast in bronze before being sent to Leeds in December.

The pair, who were inspired by Sir Captain Tom's fundraising efforts and strength of character, settled on a pose that they felt best encapsulated Sir Tom's fundraising efforts.

Mr Clark said: "A discussion with my good friend Keith Sharratt inspired me to create a sculpture in memory of Captain Sir Tom which has been widely embraced and will hopefully take permanent residence in his hometown."

To help with the creation of the statue Mr Clark set up a GoFundMe page to cover the costs of production, with 10 per cent of donations going towards The Captain Tom Foundation.

The Springs has since offered a pop-up store to show off the Captain Sir Tom Moore statue as a charitable gesture for the next four months.

"I was thrilled to be offered use of the space," said Mr Clark.

Previously Mr Clark made a life-size sculpture of Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa in March 2020, raising more than £9,500 for the Mind mental health charity.

The Bielsa statue, entitled King of the North, will join the Captain Tom creation, from Saturday, June 12, as well as other famous people encapsulated in life size bronze, brass and resin, at The Springs pop-up store.

Other famous faces from the world of football will include statues of the Leeds United and Scottish legend Billy Bremner, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, and Barcelona star Lionel Messi.

There will also be a life size statue of boxers Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder which captures the knock down moment in their second fight.

Visitors will be able to view the works of art and also purchase miniature versions of most of the sculptures with part of the proceeds going to charity.

The charities to benefit from a percentage of all sales of miniature sculptures include the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Martin House Children’s Hospice Near Wetherby, The Ciaran Bingham Foundation Trust, Leeds South and East Food Bank and Leeds North and West Food bank.

The store will also feature a small area for two other talented local artists to display their art.

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