Brechin City have unveiled their latest towering defender.
In a rock solid addition to the line-up at The Glebe, a Braveheart figure now stands guard at the Angus ground.
It is the permanent new home for a Braveheart carved a quarter of a century ago by local stonemason Tom Church.
Tom quipped: “It’s probably the most unveiled statue in the world – this is its fourth time – but I’m delighted it’s finally found its resting place.”
Tom modelled the huge figure on Mel Gibson’s portrayal of William Wallace in the 1995 hit movie which the American A-lister starred in and directed.
The Freedom sculpture was a labour of love for the Angus craftsman as he battled back to health from a triple heart bypass.
Fashioned from Borders sandstone, the statue stands more than 12 feet high and weighs in at 13 tonnes.
He spent more than 1,000 hours on the striking piece.
Wallace Monument
And Tom’s creation found worldwide fame after standing proudly at the foot of Stirling’s Wallace monument for more than a decade.
After its home town unveiling in 1996, Tom was delighted when tourism chiefs took up his offer to site the statue at the landmark.
“It’s probably the most unveiled statue in the world – this is its fourth time – but I’m delighted it’s finally found its resting place.
Brechin sculptor Tom Church
They accepted the loan of the piece to help mark the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
Tom said at the time it was a “dream come true” to have his work seen by the many thousands of annual visitors to the monument.
What had been intended as a year-long loan extended well beyond that.
Vandalism
But is provoked controversy during the Stirling stay when vandals damaged its face and poured paint on it.
A banner left at the time of the incident suggested those responsible were against the Hollywood star portraying the Scottish figure.
However, many enjoyed the statue and it proved so popular Mr Church even had miniatures made which sold around the globe.
He was also the subject of a BBC film about the project and his work.
Braveheart came back to Brechin in 2008 and Tom found himself again using the sculpture as a form of art therapy.
He suffered a stroke while working to repair damage caused by Stirling visitors climbing onto the kilted figure.
But Tom recovered from the illness and the monumental mason then decided to create a castellated keep for his creation in the garden of his own home.
Unveiling
However, ‘signing talks’ between Mr Church and Brechin City officials have now led to the Braveheart figure being put in place at the Glebe.
It was unveiled by locally-born STV newsreader Andrea Brymer at the weekend in an event which raised hundreds of pounds for kidney dialysis.
Brechin FC community manager Clark Renilson said: “The sun and crowds came out for a fantastic day to honour the craftsmanship of Brechiner Tommy Church and it was brilliant to see the community of all ages turn out in numbers to support the event.
“When Tommy came up with the idea we were delighted to accept his offer which will not only be appreciated by our own supporters but also visiting supporters to the ground.
“The statue itself is a remarkable piece of craftsmanship by a local man who put Brechin on the map with his talents.
“Having previously been on display all over Scotland we are delighted that the statue is situated within our ground for all to see and appreciate.”
