Go Fund Me appeal launched to replace missing Walt - metal stag stolen from Walton Park roundabout
It was a crime you could scarcely believe - a 7ft metal stag sculpture cut down and stolen from a South Ribble roundabout.
Known as Walt, the landmark deer was only hours into his first birthday last August when he was removed from the Walton Park roundabout at the junction Carrwood Road, Carrwood Way and Valley View - seemingly sawed from his foundations in an almost industrial-scale operation.
The crime left the community shaken and surprised, with fabricator Danny Lyons - who spent 150 painstaking hours bringing Walt to life –struggling to fathom why anyone would go to the lengths he believes have been necessary to remove him from his habitat. He said the scrap value of the metal would be minimal and the sculpture wouldn’t stand properly because of the damage to its legs.
Community action
Now, with no new information on Walt, the community has decided to act. Walton Park resident Susan Conway has launched a £500 crowdfunder for a replacement. She wrote: “I have been talking with our local councillors and have volunteered to set up a fundraiser to replace the stolen deer, which was located on the Walton Park roundabout.
“I'm sure I'm not the only one who was massively disappointed when Walt went missing...I think it would be an amazing thing to do as a community to raise funds, with the hope to raise enough to bring avlittle joy back into our lovely neighbourhood.”
In five days, £85 had been raised. Bamber Bridge, Walton-Le-Dale and Eastern Parishes Community Hub have agreed to match what is raised from residents.
Background
Walt was installed as a landmark after residents complained there was no landmark feature of Walton Park. Walton-le-Dale West councillors Damian Bretherton and Matt Campbell used funds allocated to the ward to commission the deer, which was made from recycled metal.
At the time, Coun Bretherton said: "Each councillor gets £500 a year to put towards their ward, and there's two councillors for this area. The fund has been accumulating for the last 15 years and not a lot has been done with it. We thought a deer - which you see quite often around here - would be very fitting. You see them in Central Park, in Dog Kennel Wood, and even in my back garden."