THE future of a statue commemorating one of Liverpool's bravest sons was looking bleak today.
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Campaigners hoping to create a lasting monument to double VC winner Noel Chavasse say they are still at least £65,000 shy of their £105,000 target.
An appeal was launched last November, with a pledge from developer the Windsor Group it would match-fund money raised.
The completed statue, by sculptor Tom Murphy, to be sited in city centre Abercromby Square would not just be a tribute to Chavasse - the only man a warded two Victoria Crosses during World War I - but a permanent memorial to all 15 Liverpool-born VC holders.
When the appeal was launched, it was hoped the statue would be unveiled at the start of this month, marking the 90th anniversary of the award of Captain Chavasse's first VC.
The predicted £105,000 cost should pay for the statue, with extra money needed for a plaque to the other VC winners.
But so far only around £40,000, including "significant" funding from the Windsor Group, has been raised.
Bill Sergeant, chairman of the Noel Chavasse VC Memorial Association, said: "We've had a full-size model made and waiting to be cast in bronze. But that means coming up with the rest of the money and we don't have it."
* Anyone who would like to donate should send a cheque payable to NCVCMA to 8, Tanet Drive, Liverpool, L18 6HL. To buy acopyof Liverpool Heroes, write to Don Allerston, 12 Wexford Avenue, Hale Village, L24 5RY. The cost is £7 plus £1.50 p&p.
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