Sussex sculptor starts work on a possible Captain Tom celebration

Chichester sculptor Vincent Gray has begun work on what could one day be a commemoration piece celebrating the remarkable achievements of NHS hero Captain Tom Moore.
possible Captain Tom celebrationpossible Captain Tom celebration
possible Captain Tom celebration

Vincent has released first images of the possible sculpture to mark Captain Tom’s 100th birthday today.

Captain Tom captured the hearts of the nation when – in anticipation of his birthday – he walked 100 lengths of his garden for NHS Charities Together.

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His initial target total was rapidly smashed. His fund-raising now stands at an astonishing £29,369,934. You can donate on https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tomswalkforthenhsVincent is currently working on a 30cm maquette – or model – of a possible piece.

“I have got several projects on the go, but with the coronavirus lockdown I am working from home, which means I am having to work on the smaller stuff.

“But I am always looking for ideas for new work, and Captain Tom couldn’t fail to inspire anyone. To think that he is turning 100 and he has got the energy and the vision to be thinking about raising money for the NHS at an age when most people would have long since retired.

“What an extraordinary man. What a character. During this period we need superheroes to help get us all through. He is just a fantastic inspiration for anyone.”

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The usual process, following a maquette, is to create the actual full-size sculpture and to cast it – and Vincent admits that that is a fantasy for the moment, though he admits he wouldn’t have produced the maquette if he weren’t hoping it might happen.

“We will just have to see what happens. I have got a couple of commissions on the go at the moment, but when the maquette is finished, I will certainly be sending off pictures to a few appropriate people.

“Usually when you enter into a commission, you are short-listed, but what I have done in the past is produce a maquette in the hope that it might provoke interest and circumnavigate the commission process. So, I will be sending off images to people who might take an interest.”

The NHS or Captain Tom’s home town might be possibilities. It wouldn’t be a sculpture for Chichester, Vincent suspects.

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In the meantime, Vincent is continuing to enjoy life in lockdown: “I received the government advice to go home, and I can actually work from home. And it is fine. There are no stresses. I have got a couple of jobs on the go, but there is no real timetable because of the lockdown. Providing I can be working or pottering in the garden, then I am happy.”

Vincent’s Chichester sculptures include his depiction of the poet Keats in East Street.

He has also produced a sculpture, due for installation this October in North Street, of Nelson and of Admiral Sir George Murray, the great Georgian Cicestrian and Captain of the Fleet to Lord Nelson.

In fact, but for the death of a his father-in-law, the chances are that Murray would have been standing next to Horatio Nelson on that fateful day at the Battle of Trafalgar.

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A popular naval saying still recalls the trust Nelson placed in Murray. “Murray or none” still means “no one else will do” in naval circles. The phrase was first spoken by Nelson himself – testament to his faith in his Chichester friend.

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