Sheep statue voted for store

A statue of some sheep has been overwhelmingly voted by the public as the new £50,000 piece of public art to appear at one of the main gateways to Shrewsbury.

Nearly 1,000 customers at Tesco in Harlescott recorded their votes throughout last week from a shortlist of four entries. The winning design was announced yesterday after voters plumped for a piece called Recycled Livestock.

The statue was designed by Bristol-based Cod Steaks, the company which makes sets for the Wallace and Gromit films.

Chris Oldfield, Tesco store manager, said the artwork will be built on the corner of the car park. It will be unveiled to mark the store's first anniversary next April.

He said: "I think the customers have chosen a design which is symbolic of the area and the site we're on so it's probably a good choice.

"The voting for the Recycled Livestock was about three to one, so it was overwhelmingly voted for those reasons."

The public work of art has been commissioned after the supermarket giant gave £50,000 to Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council to build it as a condition of the store's planning approval.

Jon King, from the borough council, said it would ensure the site's history as a former livestock market would be permanently marked.

He said: "It was overwhelmingly the most popular choice of the people who voted - and it's great because it links back to its previous use as a livestock market.

"It will be a fitting piece for what is a major gateway to the town."

Unsuccessful entries included a design called Spirit Of Shropshire, a giant Mount Rushmore-style face on a wall of metal panels called Flying Standards, and a piece called Kit using pieces of armour in tribute to the Battle of Shrewsbury.

All pieces were based on an environmental theme using recycled material and designed to last for at least 50 years.

By Russell Roberts