Dawson statue to be set in park

The statue will show the comedian in a standing pose

A bronze statue of comedy legend Les Dawson is to be placed in a garden at the heart of his Lancashire home town.

The statue of the Manchester-born entertainer, who died in 1993, is to be created in the ornamental garden off the promenade in St Annes.

The site is being provided by Fylde Borough Council, but the statue is to be funded by an independent committee.

The council also plans to create a "garden of fame" in the gardens, with tributes to other local celebrities.

More details of this plan are to be released in the new year.

Dawson's widow, Tracy, said she thought the location was "amazing".

"I walked past the other day and have never really noticed it before and was surprised at how lovely it was," she said.

The ornamental gardens are to be re-planted

"For me it's just fantastic that the project is going to happen and on a personal level the choice of location is also lovely as it's quite near where Les and I met when I used to work at the St Ives hotel."

Councillor Simon Renwick said: "We are recommending this site for the statue of Les because we feel it is an ideal spot right in the tourism heart of St Annes so that visitors will easily be able to see the statue and have photographs taken with it.

"The project will include a refurbishment of this underused area of the promenade and will be incorporated into the wider St Annes town centre and promenade regeneration project," he added.

The area to host the statue is currently being prepared with work taking place to lower the turf level, which has been raised over the years by windblown sand.

The area, which is a listed garden, will then be replanted in preparation for the statue to be put into place in the Autumn of 2008.