PEMBROKE Town Council’s campaign for a statue of King Henry VII in the town has seen its fundraising target move significantly closer following a major donation from Valero Pembroke Refinery.

The proposed eight foot high bronze statue – designed by sculptor Harriet Addyman – will cost around £40,000, with half of that amount match funded by Pembrokeshire County Council’s Town Centre Support Programme.

Now Valero has stepped forward with a £5,000 donation and a pledge of £5,000 in the coming year.

Refinery Public Affairs Manager Stephen Thornton recently visited Pembroke Town Hall to meet with members of the fundraising campaign and see the scale model design of Pembroke’s most famous son.

Speaking following the visit, Mr Thornton said: “This campaign is a major celebration of Pembroke’s heritage, as well as hopefully a novel way to raise the profile of the town to attract more visitors.

“The Tudor age was a pivotal period in British history and with the popularity of ‘Tudor tourism’ over the last few years, Valero is proud to offer its support to this project, which will hopefully boost the pride we have in Pembroke’s special place in history and spread the story to audiences further afield.”

Mayor of Pembroke Cllr Pauline Waters said: “Pembroke Town Council is delighted that our fundraising campaign for a statue of Henry VII, which was only launched last month, has already been such a success.

“Valero’s donation and the pledge of a further identical amount now puts us half way towards reaching our goal of £20,000. We are delighted to accept this generous contribution and the support this gives us to our campaign to celebrate the life of one of history’s most consequential individuals, who was born here in 1457.”