THE campaign to get a statue erected in George Formby's honour in Warrington went up a gear this week as the comedy star's fan club debated the issue.
Tony Thornton, editor of the George Formby Society magazine, The Vellum, contacted the Warrington Guardian to say the society would be discussing the statue at its next meeting.
To have a statue erected at the Wilderspool Causeway roundabout would cost around £35,000.
Sculptor Graham Ibbeson has already said he would be interested in producing a sculpture of the popular comedian.
His business partner, Peter Beverley, believes he has come up with a way of raising some money to pay for the statue.
He said: "What we usually do is make a maquette of the statue before we start work on it so people can see what it will look like.
"That's what we did with the Laurel and Hardy statue (earmarked for Stan Laurel's birthplace of Ulverston in Cumbria). We can also make copies of the maquette to be sold and that money can go towards the cost of the statue."
Steven Broomhead, chief executive of Northwest Development Agency, has also stepped into the frame. He said: "We would be happy to consider proposals for funding the statue and the council could also get involved.
He added: "The agency has already helped to fund statues elsewhere in the region."
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