Tom Weir statue on schedule for completion

Tom Weir statue - the detail is tremendous.

Plans to build a life-size statue in the memory of the great Tom Weir are on schedule for completion by what would have been Tommy's centenary, 29th December this year.

The statue is to be sited on the banks of his beloved Loch Lomond, near Balmaha Bay.

The plans have received a triple boost in the past week with the granting of planning permission from the National Park Authority; agreement to lease the site at Balmaha picnic area from owners Stirling Council; and news that the public appeal fund has reached £60,000 following a steady stream of donations as a result of the recent launch of the new ‘On Weir’s Way’ TV series and a range of fundraising activities.

In a note from the Tom Weir Memorial Group I learned that earlier this year the group enlisted the support of the Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, the independent conservation and heritage charity for the National Park, to add some momentum to the campaign and ensure the project could be realised on time through their joint efforts.

Susan Taylor, Administrator of the Tom Weir Memorial Group, and one of the main driving forces behind the campaign to honour Tom Weir, said: ‘’ I am delighted that we are making such good progress with the help of the Friends and I can sleep more easily at night now as we are within touching distance of achieving what we set out to do almost three years ago.

‘’The support we are receiving from thousands of people in Scotland and further afield is remarkable. It is testament to the high regard that Tom was held in and reflects the major impact he had in introducing generations to Scotland’s great outdoors through his adventures as a climber, naturalist, writer and broadcaster.’’

I would personally like to thank Susan for the tremendous amount of work she has done over the past few years to bring this project to fruition.

James Fraser, Chairman of the Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs added: ‘’It is great to see this project coming together so well with a tremendous amount of public goodwill and support from a variety of quarters including local businesses, the National Park Authority, Stirling Council and the local Buchanan Community Council in whose area the statue will be located.

‘’This is very much a team effort but we still have some work to do over the next 7 weeks to reach our phase 1 target of £75,000 by raising a further £10,000 to cover the cost of the statue and immediate site improvements. This will hopefully be followed next year by a £30,000 scheme to improve the rest of the Balmaha picnic area and produce educational materials to help make more of Scotland’s great outdoors through the work of the late Tom Weir who has left such a rich legacy of writings and broadcasts.’’

Rhona and the small-pscale statue presented to her by the sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn

A small-scale model of the statue was unveiled last month to Tom’s widow, 94 year old Rhona Weir, by the sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn who has recently completed a statue of James Herriot and is credited with creating statues of many famous football figures, including Sir Alf Ramsay and Sir Bobby Robson. This follows on from a successful career in the film industry as a model maker for blockbuster films as diverse as Harry Potter, Phantom of the Opera, Clash of the Titans and Bond’s Skyfall.

Rhona said: ‘’I am thrilled with the level of detail and likeness to Tom and I am looking forward to the life size version being sited at Balmaha Bay later this year which was one of his favourite spots on Loch Lomondside.

‘’I hope Tom’s statue will be a source of much pleasure to those who visit Loch Lomond in the future. I would like to thank the many thousands of folk who are helping to make this possible and look forward to thanking many of them personally when the statue is unveiled on 29th December.’’

Anyone who would to donate towards raising funds for the statue project and associated picnic area improvements can do so online at www.lochlomond-trossachs.org or send a cheque to Tom Weir Memorial Statue, c/o Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, The Old Station, Balloch G83 8SS.