£120,000 to make the Python's tribute a reality

The campaign to erect a statue of Terry Jones in his seaside hometown of Colwyn Bay hits its £120,000 target in less than six months.

A donation of £6,000 from longtime Python fan Suzy Eddie Izzard put the campaign over the target.

Now the funding is confirmed, Llandudno artist Nick Elphick will start working on the final design for the tribute, which is currently under wraps.

Sally Jones, Terry’s daughter, who is leading A Python On The Prom fundraiser with her brother Bill, said: ‘I am absolutely stunned that we’ve hit our target and want to thank everyone who has made a donation or bought a campaign T-shirt. We have had donations from all over the world and everyone has been so overwhelmingly positive about having a statue of my old Dad. 

‘Just like me I am sure he would have been blown away by the response.’

The campaign, which was launched by fellow Pythons Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam in September  attracted more than 1,400 donations.

Sally added: ‘We have more than enough to pay for all aspects of raising a statue of Dad but we don’t want to stop there, we would really love people to carry on giving and from this point on all donations will be split between the Conwy Arts Trust and The National Brain Appeal. Both of these UK registered charities were dear to Dad’s heart.

Dilwyn Price, chair of the arts trust that also helped run the campaign with Conwy County Borough Council, said: ‘I am so happy to see that the target has been achieved and that, before too long, we will have a wonderful fitting tribute to Terry Jones, an amazing entertainer whose Welsh roots will be truly celebrated in his hometown.’ 

At the time of Terry’s death at the age of 77 in 2020, Izzard said: ‘The Pythons changed the face of world comedy - they just did, you can’t get around that. And Terry was the guardian of the Python spirit.’

The campaign also attracted celebrity support from Michael Sheen, Conan O’Brien Jo Brand, Steve Coogan, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Alex Horne and more.

You can donate to the appeal at gofundme.com/terryjonesstatue and get the official T-shirts and tote bags at a-python-on-the-prom.teemill.com

Published: 14 Feb 2025