The new Ribble link statue ‘Canal Builders’ will be officially unveiled this Saturday (28 June) by Richard Parry CEO of the Canal & River Trust

The statue, dedicated to the people who built the canals, is situated at the Ribble Link where the new canal leading to the Ribble joins the old Lancaster Canal at Cottam.

The new sculpture replaces the infamous Ribble Piddler and cost £30,000.

Steve Higham, enterprise manager at the Canal and River Trust said: “We’ve been working with the Ribble Link Trust for some time to come up with a new design to replace the Gauging the Ripple statue and I’m delighted that the new statue is now being installed, which will be a real focal point for the hundreds of visitors and the local community.

“It is really different from the last piece of art we had on the Ribble Link and I think that once in place, local people and boaters will come to love it just as much as the old piece.”

Although the sculpture, by Derbyshire artist Denis O’Connor, has been in place since May, it will be officially unveiled at 8-30am on Saturday morning.

Thanks to Paul Melling for the photograph.

Do you like the new sculpture? Let us know in the comments below