Today's Object of the Week is a County Durham sculptire which hit the national headlines this week.

IT’S one of the best-loved sculptures in the North East – and this week it was named the best piece of outdoor artwork in the country.

But the statue, affectionately known as Tommy, was nearly lost to the region and the only reason it is now a permanent fixture was down to the efforts of a County Durham community which took it to their hearts.

The official name of the imposing metal sculpture on the seafront at Seaham is 1101 – so called because the armistice went into effect at 11am on November 11, 1918.

Built out of special steel designed to withstand and weather in the elements, Tommy stands 9ft 5ins tall and weighs 1.2 tonnes.

It was created by artist Ray Lonsdale, from South Hetton, who also intended the sculpture to represent Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which many of the returning soldiers endured.

It’s one of many imposing pieces by master sculptor Mr Lonsdale, who is also responsible for several other pieces in County Durham.

These include ‘The Ball & The Bradford Boy’ in Witton Park, to commemorate the centenary of the Victoria Crosses awarded during the First World War, ‘The Last Shift’ in Wheatley Hill Cemetery, to mark 50 years since the closure of the village colliery, and ‘The Coxswain, also in Seaham, a tribute to the he RNLI crews that operated out of the harbour there.

The latter is often referred to as ‘Tommy’s little brother’ but – unlike Tommy – it was always intended to be permanent.

When Tommy was unveiled in 2014, it was only intended to remain in place for three months.

But the people of Seaham warmed to Tommy so much that a campaign was launched to raise the £85,000 needed to keep it in the town.

It seemed a huge sum, but Tommy’s supporters were a determined bunch.

A group, named Mission 1101, was established. Helped by the County Durham Community Foundation to set up a charitable trust, it urged supporters to donate through Just Giving.

Seaham Town Council injected £20,000 and the response from the public was phenomenal.

Mission 1101 attracted thousands of members and, incredibly, the £85,000 was raised in just 12 weeks.

Mr Lonsdale was among the first to congratulate the campaigners, hailing the public’s reaction as “unbelievable”.

And so, Tommy has sat in his spot ever since.

This week the moving sculpture took top spot in a poll for the nation’s favourite public artworks by Sky Arts to celebrate the launch of its new series, Landmark – proving that it’s not just North East folk who have taken Tommy to their hearts.

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