A bronze statue of Sir Captain Tom Moore has so far failed to find a permanent home after being put up for sale on eBay (Picture: Alamy/PA)
A life-sized statue of Captain Sir Tom Moore that cost tens of thousands of pounds to make will be auctioned with a starting price of 99p if no buyer comes forward on eBay.
The bronze likeness has been on the marketplace for three months with no bidders, even after the price was cut by the co-designer to £25,000.
Tony Clark had wanted the sculpture, entitled The Walk of Hope, to go on display in the national figurehead’s home county of Yorkshire.
However efforts to find a public berth drew a blank, leaving him to try and recoup at least some of the money which he has put from his own pocket into creating and storing the tribute.
Clark said: ‘I’m gutted that I’ve had to put it on eBay. If no buyer comes forward I’ll just have to put it in auction and take what I can.
‘I’ll just have to put in there for 99p and see how many bid on it.
‘I would love it to go on public display, but I think it’s more likely to go to a personal collector. I’ll give it another few weeks on eBay but I just want to move on it from now, I want to put it all behind me.’
Captain Sir Tom Moore was recreated complete with his medals for a statue paying tribute to his inspirational fundraising (Picture: Clark Sculptures)
Clark, from Leeds, commissioned artists in Indonesia to make the statue of the record-breaking fundraiser, who shot to fame in the first lockdown as he walked 100 laps of his garden for his 100th birthday in aid of the NHS.
The artistic creator promoted the sculpture with a crowdfunding and publicity campaign after it was completed in October 2020.
He has previously said on a GoFundMe page set up for the project that he had a ‘heavy heart’ after efforts to engage Captain Tom’s family and Bradford Council in finding a location for the statue came to nothing.
Clark told Metro.co.uk: ‘In my heart of hearts I am still proud of what Captain Tom did and of the statue we made.
‘It’s just sad seeing it sitting there gathering dust.’
Sculptor Tony Clark helped create a statue of the late Captain Sir Tom Moore who raised more than £38 million for the NHS (Picture: Alamy Stock Photo)
Captain Sir Tom Moore at his home in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, after he achieved his goal of 100 laps of his garden (Picture: Joe Giddens/PA Wire)
The statue was originally posted on eBay with a price of £29,000 before Clark, 47, cut the amount last week.
He estimates that he has ploughed tens of thousands of pounds of his own money into the project, including storage and transportation costs.
Designed by Clark and his friend Keith Sharratt, the 170kg statue was created to celebrate Sir Tom’s ‘fundraising efforts, strength of character and Yorkshire ties’.
Speaking on This Morning in February 2021, Clark said he had spoken to Captain Tom’s daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, and she was ‘taken aback’ and ‘inspired’ by the creation.
The artist told Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield that he wanted the ‘family to decide’ where it was sited and while his preference was Yorkshire he just wanted to raise funds for the Captain Tom Foundation, a charity set up by the World War Two veteran’s family.
The GoFundMe page originally gave a target of £60,000 to cover the costs of the statue, with 10% being donated to The Veterans Charity.
On eBay, Clark describes the likeness as the original piece commissioned in 2020 to commemorate Captain Tom’s ‘amazing achievements’.
He has added the caveat that ‘the foundation and family have nothing to do with this piece and will not endorse it either’.
Captain Tom inspired a burst of fundraising across the country during the first national lockdown in 2020 as he completed the 100 laps at his family home in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire.
Originally aiming to raise £1,000 for NHS Charities Together, the amount rocketed to £38.9 million within three weeks.
After the centenarian died in February 2021, his family continued his fundraising work through the foundation.
The charity is currently being investigated by the Charity Commission for possible conflicts of interest, mismanagement and whether the trustees fulfilled their legal duties and responsibilities.
Captain Tom’s daughter has also been involved in a saga concerning a planning application for a spa pool block at their home.
The family lost an appeal against an order from Central Bedfordshire Council to remove the Captain Tom Foundation Building and had to demolish it last month.
In conversation with Piers Morgan, Ms Ingram-Moore denied the family had sought to give themselves ‘a little treat’, claiming the paperwork was filed after her father’s death ‘because we wanted it as part of that legacy, and because it was a nice thing to do’.
She said the building had been constructed with ‘all personal money’ and ‘not one penny’ from the foundation.
In relation to the links between the businesses and the foundation, Ms Ingram-Moore has previously admitted that ‘we’ve been incredibly naive’ but insisted the family are ‘wholesome, good people and we run businesses we understand’.
MORE : Ten people whose lives were changed by Captain Sir Tom Moore
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