Campaigners behind a statue plan to honour a forgotten son of Brechin are within touching distance of their goal.
The bronze memorial to radar pioneer Robert Watson-Watt has been completed by internationally-renowned sculptor Alan B Herriot and is in storage at an Edinburgh foundry ahead of its siting in St Ninian’s Square as the Angus town’s first public statue.
Enthusiasts from the Watson-Watt Society have now landed a £6,000 donation from the Cookie Matheson Charitable Trust of St Andrews to take the group closer to the required total for the construction of a plinth and the finishing touches to the chosen location for the statue.
Mrs Cookie Matheson lived in Angus for many years before moving to St Andrews.
During her lifetime she was a generous benefactor of many causes and established a charitable trust, primarily to support the pictorial and musical arts.
The society is also hopeful of another funding boost next month when they find out how much a VAT reclaim application will bring.
Vice-chairman Dr Robert Martin said: “Unfortunately, we can’t yet be specific about when the statue will be on site but we are certainly nearly there.”
The society plans to continue fundraising to create an interactive digital programme based on the work of Watson-Watt’s team during World War II in developing the technology that played a crucial part in UK’s defence during the Battle of Britain.
It is hoped that programme will be housed in Brechin library or the Town House Museum and the idea is to be the subject of discussion with Angus Council.