THE FUNDRAISER HOPING TO RAISE CASH FOR A LIFE SIZED BRONZE STATUE AND COMMEMORATIVE GARDEN TO ADORN THE FRONT OF THE FORMER HOME OF LS LOWRY IN PENDLEBURY

A fundraiser has been launched to raise money for a commemorative garden to be situated affront the former Pendlebury home of Salford's adopted artist LS Lowry, a base of operations wherein he lived for some 40 years as he travelled the industrial landscapes and streets of our city painting his iconic match-stalk men and match-stalk cats and dogs.

The renowned artist whose work sells for millions of pounds was a well known figure in Salford as he captured the grim reality of life in the regions Northern mill towns.

One of the main aims of the project is to recreate his image cast in bronze as a statue mirroring the pose in the image above of him as he looked out from the top of the hill in Pendlebury across the roof tops of the row upon row of terraced streets and factories which were featured in his paintings.

Once ridiculed for his 'childish way of painting' he is said to have decreed that he was "not an artist, just a man who paints - nothing more, nothing less." However he is mocked no more as his work regularly passes hands of millions of pounds and just recently one of his paintings aptly named 'The Mill - Pendlebury' has recently sold for £2.65m at auction.

His name also lives on in the iconic art gallery and theatre situated upon the banks of the former ship canal which was named after him and is now home to the worlds largest collection of his work including an archive of his sketches and drawings and countless photographs, press cuttings and memorabilia of his life.

It is the intention to use a local company to landscape the garden which will be open at all times to the interested public.

They would like to create a large mural of the terraced houses painted along the right hand wall.

Any ideas and contributions are welcomed by the group.

Local artists and gardeners who would like to be involved, are being asked to contact them with their ideas.

The group who have already at time of print raised over £3000 of the £35,000 target - hope that the bronze, life sized statue will be the predominant feature of the garden, standing next to the bay window, below the new plaque making a fantastic photo souvenir for Lowry fans and visitors to the locality.

You can find a link to their Go Fund Me page which has been set up by Stephen Johnson: Here

Salford's famous son and his much beloved mother were recently the subjects of a film by Timothy Spall which chronicled the life of the once debt collector turned legend of the art world.

We wish them luck.