Geldards proudly supports Rhodri Morgan Trust’s commemorative sculpture
Geldards is delighted to have supported the Rhodri Morgan Trust in its dedicated fundraising campaign to commission a life-sized bronze sculpture of Wales’ former First Minister Rhodri Morgan, commemorating his historic impact on Welsh governance.
The fundraising campaign began over seven years ago, and a design competition to create the sculpture was won by sculptor Andy Edwards who has Welsh roots. Renowned for his bronzes of high profile public figures, some of Andy’s notable previous commissions include The Beatles, Queen Elizabeth, Brian Clough and most recently Motorhead’s Lemmy. Andy has worked with Castle Fine Arts Foundry at Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant in Powys for over twenty years and created the sculpture of Rhodri from clay before casting the final statue in bronze.
Situated in Cardiff Bay in front of the Pierhead and close to the Senedd, the brand new piece of public art honours Rhodri Morgan’s huge contribution to Welsh public life and the crucial role he played in stabilising the Welsh Assembly in the early days of devolution. The sculpture features a QR code linking to information on Rhodri Morgan’s values and critical role in devolution in the context of the history of Welsh governance.
The sculpture was officially unveiled on 9th July in the presence of the First Minister, the Rt Hon Rhun ap Iorwerth MS, and the Llywydd, Huw Irranca-Davies MS. Geldards Commercial Property Partner Ioan Owen, who has supported the Rhodri Morgan Trust throughout the life of the fundraising campaign, joined in the celebrations on the day with other Geldards colleagues.
Commenting on the new sculpture Ioan Owen said:
“Geldards is proud to have supported the Rhodri Morgan Trust throughout their tireless fundraising work to commemorate Rhodri with this historic piece of public art. The statue represents Rhodri’s legacy as the founding father of devolution and it’s only right that it takes pride of place in Cardiff Bay. Inspirational leaders such as Rhodri only come along once in a lifetime and Geldards is delighted to have played a small role in making his legacy a reality.”
The Rhodri Morgan Trust added:
“We are so pleased that this project is coming to fruition and that the statue for the ‘father of devolution’, as Rhodri is sometimes referred to, will be in front of the Senedd where he spent so many years working for the people of Wales. He was a man of the people and his statue will add to the streetscape of the Bay where so many visitors pass by – the fact that it’s deliberately not being put on a plinth but will be at ground level – is indicative of the man and we are sure he would have loved that.
We are grateful to Geldards for their support for the statue and also to the many others who have helped fundraise and contribute over the years.”