Artist's delight as lion statue 'comes home'

A lion statue named Kintsugi has been unveiled after a community rallied together to buy it at auction and "bring him home" in support of the local designer.

Sam Morris, from Twyning, Tewkesbury, found out she had breast cancer on the day she was commissioned to design Kintsugi as part of the Lions at Large trail in Cheltenham and Gloucester last summer.

She said she felt a sense of relief to have Kintsugi "in front of the folk who will love him for many years".

He is on a small piece of land donated by Twyning School.

Kintsugi was one of 35 lions on the trail, with the models collectively raising £220,000 at auction which went towards a new cancer treatment centre at Cheltenham General Hospital.

Morris said it was hard to put into words what the community had done by getting behind her and bringing Kintsugi back to Twyning.

"It's not just about raising money, it's about standing up and saying, I support you, I'm here for you."

"And also recognising that they've probably been through something similar and it really resonates with them," she added.

Morris said in the lead up to Kintsugi's unveiling she felt "nervous, excited and a bit emotional".

She said it was easy to "speak from the heart" as the lion was unveiled to the crowd of more than 100 locals who showed up in support.

"I could see people resonating. Cancer touches every other one of us and we are either struggling ourselves or supporting someone else going through it.

"They had absolute empathy... it was a moment where you're struck by something beautiful," she added.

Morris said the children were "very very excited" to have Kintsugi at the school.

"We hope that in the future they walk past with their kids and they tell the story of when they unveiled the lion," she added.

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