Oakham Castle event sees launch of fundraising for statue of Queen Elizabeth II

Tonight, Tuesday 28 February, Dr Sarah Furness, Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland launched the appeal to raise £125,000 for a memorial statue of the late Queen Elizabeth II at a reception in Oakham Castle.

Upon the death of Her Majesty in September, tributes poured in from all over the county and people felt personally bereaved by the loss. Rutland's own Lord-Lieutenant received many letters, highlighting Rutland's loyalty to our late Queen.

As a tribute to Her Majesty, and the love shown to the monarch by Rutland residents, a new, permanent memorial is being planned for Oakham.

Lord-Lieutenant, Sarah Furness, welcomed guests to the private event at Oakham Castle this evening to launch the appeal to raise £125,000 for the statue.

She said: "Her Majesty's death came as a shock and an emotional blow.

"Her Majesty had been a focus of national identity and stability through immense changes and throughout most of our lives. It is the result of this strong feeling that this statue project was born.

"Our statue will be a tangible reflection of Rutland's respect and affection for our late Queen."

Community donations and a pledge from Oakham Town Council have already raised half of the required funds demonstrating strong local support for this project from a community with a tradition of service, volunteering, and admiration for Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

Dr Furness continued: "Contributions have ranged from £20 to £20,000 – it is immensely cheering."

"With little publicity, we have raised nearly half of the funds."

Once sufficient funds are raised, the statue will be a slightly larger than life size full length figure on a plinth. If less is raised, the tribute will be a bust on a plinth.

Plans are that the plinth will be made out of Clipsham stone, and the statue itself out of bronze, ensuring that it lasts.

The Lord-Lieutenant added: "We are using local materials and businesses where possible. We wish to support our county and minimise environmental impact."

On top of this, she hopes that the unveiling of the statue may warrant a royal visit and "help to raise awareness and the profile of our wonderful county."

Hywel Pratley has been chosen to sculpt the tribute, since he has local connections and is well respected. He is a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors. His work in bronze is widely exhibited. He is "reasonably priced" and he has local connections having worked with the Le Blanc Foundry in Saxby for years.

Mr Pratley said: "Sarah Furness approached me and said that it would be very desirable for Rutland and I was just delighted to try and help.

"We agreed that a young Queen, in her full powers, would be the best era to portray her and state robes are so sculptural and the potential for drapery is so interesting, we decided state robes.

"A young Queen – probably around 30's – seemed to be a good choice. It isn't quite set in stone yet – no pun intended," he laughed. "She's had children, so she's in the full peak of Britannia, that's the hope.

"Our Queen is an endlessly inspiring woman."

It is intended that the statue will be located outside Rutland Library, accessible and visible for locals and tourists alike.

Sarah Furness said: "We wanted the statue to remember Queen Elizabeth not only as a Monarch, but as a lover of animals."

As such, a bronze corgi will be sat beside Her Majesty on the plinth, so that "children can enjoy giving it a pat," Dr Furness said.

She also addressed the commentary from some Rutland residents that the money being spent on the statue would be better going to local projects, such as a skatepark, foodbank, or cost of living fund.

She said: "We aren't forcing anyone to give money. We have no statues in Rutland, which is amazing, and I think that this would be something from the people of Rutland for future generations."

"There is always an argument for and against any art project […] but this will last for thousands of years and is something special for the county and will commemorate the strong feeling everybody had for Her Majesty.

"We all know and love the Angel of the North. It is seen as symbolic of the north of England. Interestingly, it was constructed about 25 years ago and there was a massive campaign against it and people thought that it was a waste of money and it wasn't worth it and so on. The person leading that campaign was interviewed recently, and now it has been accepted and it is loved, even he loves it."

She added: "What I am encouraged by is that so many people are positive about the project and we haven't had much resistance.

"Of course there will be the arguments why spend money on art when you can spend money on food but I think that they are two separate pots of money and this project is well supported."