A CONTROVERSIAL bronze statue got the seal of approval from most of the crowd who gathered to watch it being unveiled on Blackburn Boulevard.

The modern sculpture, which depicts a boy tugging at his grandma's arm as he reaches for his dropped teddy bear, has been designed to form the centrepiece of the recently refurbished area.

A council decision to spend £25,000 on the project provoked an angry reaction from some councillors who claimed to be shocked and stunned by the move.

But the new sculpture has had a better reception than the controversial one not far away in Lord Square.

There was uproar 30 years ago when the covers fell from the bronze of a child with its mini-skirted mum...who wasn't wearing a wedding ring.

And even in the swinging sixties, some slammed it as a sign of falling morals. The grumbles about the new statue are about money rather than morality, but the public seem to like it.

Josephine Hoggett, from Darwen, stopped in her tracks as she noticed the feature, which was produced by Henley-on-Thames artist Alan Wilson.

She said: "It is truly beautiful. I am so please it will now be a permanent fixture on the boulevard. It has an interesting message and I think it will fascinate a lot of people."

Angela Lewis was led to the new work of art by her three-year-old daughter Jessica, who was fascinated by the boy's teddy bear fixed to the pavement.

"Jessica wanted to take the teddy home," laughed Angela, of Baron Street, Darwen.

"I think the sculpture is very nice. It's certainly very different from anything else in the town." Officer worker Allison Billington, from Cherry Tree, Blackburn, caught her first glimpse of the statue when she nipped out for lunch.

She said: "I'm not sure if it is worth £25,000 but I do like it. It's very lifelike. I'm sure some people will think they are real people from a distance and children will try to pick up the teddy bear."

Kath Bradshaw, of Davenham Road, Darwen, said it was like looking in a mirror when she first noticed it.

"I'm not a grandmother but the statue does remind me all of myself," she said. "I'm always rushing across the Boulevard with the kids trying to catch a bus."

Darren Cant, of East Park Road, Blackburn, thought the money could have been better spent. He said: "I suppose it looks quite good but I think that sort of cash should have gone on something a bit more practical."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.