Hamilton Davies Trust crowdfunding to save Man on the Bench sculpture

Irlam’s Hamilton Davies Trust is aiming to raise nearly £18,000 to restore the community’s iconic Man on the Bench sculpture.

The trust wants to recreate the landmark sculpture in bronze after the original was vandalised.

Local school boy, Simon Law, made the sculpture in 1978 and it was originally called At the End of the Day and was on public display at Irlam Station for nearly 40 years before the vandalism forced its removal.

The sculpture is thought to symbolise the legacy of Irlam and Cadishead’s Industrial era, which saw the economy bloom at the expense of the under-paid workers.

The sculpture portrays this by showing the exhausted working man.

Now the sculpture is seen to represent the past decade of community work that has gone into regenerating the area.

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Vandals severed off the foot of the sculpture, causing significant damage.

The trust was launched in 2003 with the vision to regenerate the town of his roots, by Neil McArthur, former TalkTalk CEO, who grew up in Irlam.

The trust has been operating within the local community over the past decade on projects ranging from education, community, recreation and regeneration.

Some of their works include the complete revamp of Irlam Station, as well as empowering and supporting local talent and businesses.

Consultant general manager at HDT, Mandy Coleman, said: “The art is no longer fit to live outside where he was enjoyed by so many.”

HDT placed the iconic artpiece in storage and began fund raising to “produce a bronze statue of this well-loved, 42-year-old piece of art.”

On the GoFundMe page it is stated that: “unfortunately, the man, with no name, was damaged by vandals and sustained injuries which include a broken leg and a heavy heart and he has been in hiding ever since.”

They went on to say that, “As part of the crowdfunding process, we would like to provide all donators with the opportunity to name the man.”

Mandy Coleman went on to say, “It’s wonderful that so far more than 1,000 local people, companies, community groups and school children have donated over £8,000.”

“There’s still a long way to go, but we are determined to make this happen for the community and we look forward to seeing ‘The Man’ again at Irlam Station.”

HDT ask members of the public to donate so this art piece can be restored and put back on display for local residents to enjoy.

They are looking to do this via a GoFundMe page.