Les Dawson statue to be built

A statue of Les Dawson is to be erected in an ornamental garden in Lytham St Annes.

The Blankety Blank host, who died of a heart attack in 1993, will be immortalised in bronze in the Lancashire seaside resort, where he lived with his wife and daughter.

His widow Tracy launched a campaign for the monument to be built last year.

The statue, which will be partly funded by the comic's friends in the entertainment industry, will show him posed as if he were performing a stand-up routine.

Fylde Borough Council also plans to create a "garden of fame" at the site, which will include tributes to other local celebrities.

Tracy said: "For me it's just fantastic that the project is going to happen and on a personal level the choice of location is also lovely as it's quite near where Les and I met when I used to work at the St Ives hotel."

The statue is expected to be put in place next Autumn.