A specialist finishing and repair firm wants to breathe new life into run down landmarks across the UK.
Plastic Surgeon, the UK’s leading surface repair experts, is calling on the public to nominate cracked iconic statues, stained public artworks and tired local monuments desperate for renovation.
Their nationwide ‘Community Restoration Project’ campaign not only wants to restore a forgotten landmark somewhere in the UK, but forgotten civic pride too.
Gary Danson, Operations Director for Plastic Surgeon, said: “It’s a campaign inspired by an undertaking of ours in North Shields, which saw us restore a statue of Stan Laurel marking the fact he grew up within the area.”
“After 30 years of neglect and exposure to the elements, it was looking in a very sorry state until we stepped in and rectified the wear and tear. The feedback we received following its restoration was great, while it also seemed to create a sense of restored civic pride alongside the actual restoration itself, hence the concept of community restoration. It was this that inspired us to try and replicate the enthusiasm for the results of our repair work elsewhere.”
Suggestions will be shortlisted nationwide, and a popular vote will decide the winner.
Entries should explain why the installation is important to the community and why it is worthy of restoration, to whip up public support.
But the Community Restoration Project won’t be able to tackle something like a sprawling mansion.
Gary said: “While we’d love to restore every suggestion that’s put forward, unfortunately, resource won’t allow it. So, we’re looking to whittle it down to a worthy ‘winner’. Put simply, whichever entry gets the most votes, will be the one that we repair.”
Plastic Surgeon is no stranger to the weird and wacky too.
As the ‘rhino repair squad’ of Paignton Zoo’s Great Big Rhinos conservation fundraising project, they repaired life-sized rhino sculptures scattered across Torbay.
Gary said: “Our company ethos, given the fact we advocate repair over replacement, is centred on sustainability and corporate social responsibility. The local community is important to us and this is an approach we’re looking to extend to a wider audience. As a business that has a national reach, our ‘local’ community technically stretches the length of the UK and beyond.”
Entries will not be accepted after 28 September.
Gary said: “We’re really looking forward to seeing what comes to light and, hopefully, we’ll find a statue, public art installation or whatever it happens to be, that’s close to the heart of its community, allowing us to help promote some civic pride while also restoring a potential eyesore to its former splendour.”
