Laurel statue delayed by earthquake and typhoon (From The Northern Echo)

Laurel statue delayed by earthquake and typhoon

8:03am Friday 4th July 2008 in

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A BRONZE statue of a North- East acting legend has bizarrely been caught up in two natural disasters in China during its manufacture.

Silent film star Arthur Stanley Jefferson - Stan Laurel - rose to fame in the Twenties and and Thirties as one half of the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy.

The actor has hit the headlines again after a sculpture due to be installed in his home town of Bishop Auckland was struck by an earthquake and a typhoon on the other side of the world, last month.

Artist Bob Olley was commissioned to make the figure by Wear Valley District Council as part of a multi-million pound regeneration plan.

After struggling to mould the head in the UK, organisers, fearful of the looming July launch date, thought it quicker to send the job to a steel foundry near the city of Chengdu, central China.

Halfway through casting, on May 12, the devastating Sichuan earthquake struck the country, killing nearly 70,000 people, the epicentre being just 40 kilometres from the foundry.

Mr Olley lost touch with the foundry boss for ten days and feared the worst before finally getting an email.

"I emailed the foundry boss for an update just three days before the quake and I was relieved to find out two weeks later all the workers at the foundry were okay.

The whole thing has been bizarre," he said.

The finished statue was then taken from the works to Shanghai where it finally set sail for Felixstowe on June 21, only just escaping a monstrous typhoon over the Pacific the following day.

The ship carrying it is now known to have docked in the Panama Canal and is expected on British soil on Friday, July 25.

Bob Hope, strategic director for environment and regeneration, said: "I am pleased that Stan will shortly take up his rightful place of residence at Bishop Auckland's Theatre Corner.

"He has encountered some difficulties, particularly in recent weeks. However, under the circumstances, a short delay in his arrival is not important. Perhaps what is important is to reflect upon those caught up in the earthquake and on how fortunate we are not to live with this threat ourselves."

The unveiling is due next month though organisers are unable to confirm a date.