VISITORS to a village will soon be greeted by a sculpture of a miner being put in place to commemorate its industrial heritage.

The sculpture will be situated at the entrance to Skelton, in east Cleveland, in the heart of what was once known as ‘Iron Valley’.

A donation of £500 from housebuilder Taylor Wimpey has enabled local community group, The Friends of Skelton, to commission the statue, which is being designed by sculpture artist Bill Harding.

Joyce White, treasurer of the Friends of Skelton, said: “Skelton is one of the few east Cleveland villages with no entrance features.

“We take great pride in our surroundings, so felt it was important that we correct this to encourage new residents and visitors to the area.

“Taylor Wimpey previously helped us to create a shrubbery on the Cleveland Way National Trail and we are very grateful that it has chosen to help us again.”

The group was formed in 2014 when it was granted the lease of land in the centre of Skelton to create a garden for locals to enjoy.

Anne Bagshaw, sales and marketing director for Taylor Wimpey North Yorkshire, said: “We are delighted that we can once again help enhance the public areas of the village and we now look forward to watching the statue take pride of place in Skelton.”