A FORMER councillor has backed Rodney Cooper’s calls for a statue of a former slave, and called for a heritage centre to be built in Boscombe.

As reported, former Bournemouth mayor Rodney Cooper suggest erecting a statue Thomas Lewis Johnson, an ex-slave who died in Boscombe.

And Phil Stanley-Watts has backed this call.

He said: “I think it is a great idea.

“He was a Boscombe resident and there is a rich heritage in Boscombe and the surrounding area.

“It would be good if a statue was erected.”

Mr Stanley-Watts said a heritage centre should be built to showcase Boscombe’s history.

“A heritage centre would be a good thing,” he continued.

“There is a lot of dealings with the Boscombe area which is well known like the Frankenstein novel, Mary Shelley, a lot of people don’t know about the heritage of the area.

“It will be a tourist and a resident attraction.”

Speaking of the statue idea, Mr Stanley-Watts said Thomas Lewis Johnson deserved it.

“He was a man of dignity. He certainly is a well-known person of his time.

“He deserves to be remembered.

“It would be a symbol of diversity and rich heritage of the area.

“The important thing would be how we achieve it, I am a member of the Bournemouth Civic Centre and I’m trying to get their support.

“It will be good to get the ball rolling so to speak.”

Mr Stanley-Watts also said the statue of Robert Baden-Powell shouldn’t be boarded up.

He said: “It shouldn’t be boarded up, he is a symbol of diversity as well.

“He might have done some wrong things but the Scouts movement is across the world.

“It is very important, I don’t see how it can be boarded up and how people are trying to pull it down but I suppose everyone is entitled to their own viewpoint.”

Mr Stanley-Watts added: “I will be bringing the statue and heritage centre up at the enxt Civic Centre meeting and the more people that support it the more it will be achievable.”