Fans raise £60k for Milligan memorial

A statue of Spike Milligan is to be unveiled in North London on Thursday, after fans raised £60,000 for the project.

The life-size bronze by John Somerville will show the comedian sitting on a park bench, turning as if to speak to someone sitting next to him – providing a perfect photo opportunity. Details on the bench will also reflect aspects of Milligan's life.

It will be unveiled in the grounds of St Stephens' House in Finchley, North London, at 11am on Thursday.

The event marks the culmination of a decade-long fundraising campaign by The Finchley Society and backed by a long list of celebrity supporters including John Cleese, Michael Palin, Barry Cryer, Barry Humphries and Paul McCartney.

When the campaign was launched, Palin said: 'The list of patrons who support the statue appeal shows how widely Spike was appreciated, how much he was admired, and how enthusiastic people are to turn this admiration into something permanent. There are old soldiers on plinths all over London. But a soldier who created the Goon Shows, now that is something worth commemorating.'

Fundraiser David Smith told Chortle today: 'We are presently about £5,000 short of the target [to cover insurance, installation and endowment]. The reason for our going ahead with the project was that our sculptor, John Somerville, has had three medical crises in the past three years and we didn't want all his work to go unfinished. Happily, John is now OK and will be with us on Thursday.'

Milligan lived in Holden Road, Finchley, for 19 years was the first president of the Finchley Society and remained patron until his death in February 2002. He often visited St Stephens' House – then called Avenue House.

The image above shows the initial design of the bench, which has subsequently been amended. For more information on the event and fundraising, visit www.spikemilliganstatuefund.org.uk.

Published: 2 Sep 2014