Cash for Compo statue

Mar 1 2004 By The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

LAST of the Summer Wine star Tom Owen was in Holmfirth at the weekend to raise money for a memorial statue dedicated to his father.

Tom met fans to boost plans for the commemorative statue of Compo, the character immortalised by Bill Owen in the comedy series.

His fundraising target will be £50,000 - £35,000 of which will pay for the statue in Kings Head Gardens, Holmfirth.

The remainder will be spent on youth projects in the town as well as revamping the Summer Wine exhibition.

Tom joined Summer Wine after his father's death in 1999.

He said: "The reaction from everybody in town has been great and I have been pledged a lot of money.

"I have been able to answer a lot of questions that people have had like why a statue of Bill and not of Thora Hird."

He said the gardens would become an area of remembrance, not just for Bill, but other beloved actors.

He believed his father would fully approve of the scheme.