Rhodri Morgan statue on course to be unveiled in Cardiff Bay in July

Martin Shipton

A statue commemorating former First Minister Rhodri Morgan is on course to be unveiled in Cardiff Bay in July 2026, fundraisers have confirmed.

It was announced last year that internationally recognised sculptor Andy Edwards, who has produced works depicting famous people like the Beatles and Alex Ferguson, had been chosen to create the statue of Mr Morgan that will be erected near the Senedd.

Edwards, who has worked in the Castle foundry at Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant in Powys since 2001, was selected from a shortlist of three by members of the Rhodri Morgan Statue Fund (RMSF), which began raising money for the project two years after the politician’s death in 2017.

Edwards, who sculpts his clay in a studio space and then finishes his bronze statues in the casting and metalworking workshops, said at the time he won the commission: “I am hugely excited and honoured to have been chosen to work with RMSF to create this tribute to Rhodri’s life and work: a monument happiest to be among the people he was always very much a part of and for whom he cared so deeply.

“The statue will be unique and I feel sure that when it takes its place it will come to be as loved as a symbol and reminder, as Rhodri was in life.”

A spokesperson for RMSF said: “We have viewed Andy Edwards’ sculpture of Rhodri in wax, and it is currently being fabricated under Andy’s direction at the Foundry in Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant. It will be complete by June and installed and unveiled in July.

“The cost of creating, transporting and installing the sculpture is £132,000 including VAT.

“Of the £132,000 payable to Andy – which includes the charges of Castle Fine Arts Foundry,

at Llanrhaeadr am Mochnant – £118,500 has been raised, leaving us to find a further £13,500.

“The sculpture will be fastened to a concrete foundation covered in pavias at ground level without a plinth, using hidden stainless steel dowels. We have to excavate and lay the concrete slab, for which, together with some other small expenses, a provision of £11,000 is needed.

“Added to the above £13,500, this means we need to raise a further £24,500 in total. All these figures include VAT, and we are expecting to reclaim some of the VAT but fundraising needs to continue. We are on the last lap.”

Celebration

A Fundraising Celebration will be held on March 21 at Mercure North Cardiff Hotel at 6.30 p.m Tickets cost £45 per head, with tables of 10 costing £425 and half tables for five at £220.

The evening will include a welcome drink, an Indian buffet-style meal, and fruit juice or wine at the table as well as speakers and entertainment.

Those wishing to attend are asked to contact RMSF by email at [email protected] or via WhatsApp at 07511 269977.

The sculpture will be installed in front of the Pierhead Building in Cardiff Bay. It will be an “outdoor classroom” with a QR code linked to website information on Rhodri Morgan’s values, his critical role in devolution in the context of the history of Welsh governance and the struggle for a Parliament for Wales.

The freehold of the land is owned by Associated British Ports and leased to the Senedd Commission. Both are supporting the project and are working with Statue Fund trustees to meet the installation deadline.

There have been discussions with the local planning authority, Cardiff council. The council has agreed to take ownership of the sculpture and maintain it from installation, waiving the normal charges.