WREXHAM Council has granted permission for a ‘peace statue’ to be installed in Acton Park.

The world’s longest global relay organisation, the Oneness-Home Peace Run, had applied to gift the installation of a statue at the park earlier this year. The Peace Run promotes international friendship and understanding.

Gifts from the Peace Run are funded by individual supporters with the main donors for this installation being John and Tamsin Evans, the Peace Run Coordinators in Wales.

Wrexham Council’s chief planning officer David Fitzsimon has given the green light for the installation of the statue, signing off a delegated decision.

A supporting statement submitted with the planning documents explained the story behind the statue: “The Oneness-Home Peace Run wishes to donate a Peace Statue to Wrexham.

“The site chosen is within Acton Park, a well-established and beautiful area for recreation and peaceful re-charging within the city.

“When the Peace Run visits a community, an Olympic-style peace torch is passed from hand to hand, giving those present the opportunity to make a private wish for peace.

“The statue offers the same opportunity on a permanent basis, but with a bronze torch instead of the flaming original. It is therefore intended to be interactive and a bilingual explanatory information board would be positioned adjacent to the site.”

A supporting statement submitted with the application explained the Peace Run has offered various gifts to the communities it visits around the world. In Wales it has so far donated four peace statues.

The location for the Wrexham statue was chosen after consultation with community representatives.

The applicants added: “The Run would very much like to include a statue in the north-east of the country as part of this peace initiative.

“Wrexham is an exciting place of inspiration and aspiration, with its newly bestowed city status, cultural credentials and its growing importance within Welsh life.

“It is close to a vantage point beside the lake, which appears already to be something of a hub for families and dog walkers to pass the time of day.

“In the area there are already established various benches, areas for angling and information boards about the lake and the park.

“Local schools are actively encouraged to take part in projects within the park, and it has been suggested that the children might create some planting of flowers around the site over time, and which they would maintain.

“The interactive nature of the statue has proved popular with children elsewhere in Wales.

“The A1 sized information board is designed to be weatherproof and vandal resistant. The aim is to enhance Acton Park, and Wrexham, for its residents and visitors, whilst providing ongoing interest, beauty and pride in the nation’s history of peace and international goodwill.”