Source: Liverpool_Echo
New Hillsborough memorial statue to be unveiled in Liverpool
Artist Tony Evans' proposed statue commemorating Hillsborough. Picture: Jim Connolly _220[LNB]A STRIKING new memorial could be erected in Liverpool at the 21st anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy.[LNB] Is the proposed Hillsborough memorial statue a fitting tribute?The metal artwork, to be funded by the public, is set to be unveiled in the city next April by the council's Lord Mayor office.[LNB]It is expected to be initially stationed in the Town Hall ballroom before being moved to different locations within the city centre.[LNB]The lifesized model will stand 15 foot high and have a spiritual element with a top figure looking upwards to the heavens.[LNB]All the 96 names of those who died after the Sheffield crushes will be inscribed on the 96 flames carved into the metal stand.[LNB]The families hope football fans will drape their own scarves onto the flames when they visit the artwork.[LNB]Creator Tony Evans has created a model of the memorial and is keen to gain the backing of both grieving families and survivors for the model.[LNB]But the design, which features a top figure seemingly strewn on top of a metal fence, seems set to be controversial from the outset.[LNB]A number of families and survivors have expressed concerns about the very immediate portrayal of the 1989 disaster.[LNB]Letters have been sent to the 96 families and a period of consultation is set to begin, asking people for those opinions.[LNB]The Lord Mayor's Office, who are behind the project, are keen to stress that nothing has been approved.[LNB]A letter to Hillsborough Family Support Group members read: ''The statue is not intended to elicit sympathy, but to tell the story of a tragic event which unfortunately part of Liverpool life, and which brought, and which continues to bring, Liverpool people together and those touched by this from further afield.[LNB]'It also shows that, 21 years later, feelings have not diminished, and so many still wonder why.'[LNB]Margaret Aspinall, chairwoman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, said: 'When I first saw the model, I went into quiet mode because of the way it looks.[LNB]'I think it does, however, tell the story of what those people went through.'
