Donate to bring Robert Stigwood art back to East Cowes

A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to bring a celebrated music, stage and film producer’s sculpture back to East Cowes and Whippingham where it once stood.

In the “Hurricane Disaster” storm of 1987, a tree was torn apart in Robert Stigwood’s Barton Manor home, leaving a large wooden stump in the ground.

The unsightly reminder of the night’s terrifying events did not stay as nature intended for long, as Isle of Wight sculptor Norman Gaches took to carving it into a Roman scene to remain in the grounds of Barton Manor.

After moving to Ascot, Mr Stigwood, who produced Saturday Night Fever, had the sculpture uprooted and taken with him, however it didn’t quite fit into the grounds of the new property, and was left in a nearby field.

A local garden centre has taken care of the statue since, and after a visit from East Cowes Councillor Karl Love and resident David Hill, the centre has agreed to let it return to East Cowes and be put on display.

Cllr Love said: “Many years ago I saw Madonna jogging on the East Cowes seafront, roughly about the time Robert Stigwood was producing the film Evita. Our town has so much world profile, and we need to ensure the legacy is documented, enjoyed, and the story told.

“We can recover this piece of art free of charge, but it’s the cost of transport, new mountings and restoration that will come at a price.”

Mr Hill and Cllr Love have set up a Go Fund Me page to raise around £5,000 that will be needed to bring the sculpture back to East Cowes, restore it, and put it on display.

You can donate here: gofundme.com/6gqytk8

Mr Hill was tipped off about the sculpture after he worked as the local co-ordinator for the Romanov Monument events in East Cowes.

He helped put on an exhibition of Romanov art at Barton Manor and the owners put him on the trail of the forgotten sculpture.

You can donate here: gofundme.com/6gqytk8