AN 8FT statue of once-forgotten Second World War hero Andrew Mynarski will arrive in the North-East today after a 300-mile journey from Scotland.

The sculpture, which will be unveiled at a ceremony at Durham Tees Valley Airport tomorrow, was cast in bronze by workers at the Black Isle Bronze Foundry, in Nairn, near Inverness, Scotland, last month.

The one-tonne statue was loaded on a lorry there yesterday afternoon and was due to set off early this morning for the journey south.

Its creator, North-East artist Keith Maddison, will be waiting for it at the airport's St George Hotel, where the unveiling will be taking place at 11am tomorrow.

Mr Maddison, from Northumberland, said: "I think we just feel relief now that it's finished, and a bit of apprehension about how people will react.

"It stands on its feet perfectly, which is a good sign.

"It's a funny feeling at the moment because Saturday is the big day. Even when it is finished like this I am never entirely happy because you know the jury's out until it's unveiled."

The Northern Echo's Forgotten Hero appeal, launched last June, aimed to raise £40,000 for the statue, which shows Pilot Officer Mynarski in full salute.

But thanks to generous readers and a National Lottery grant, the total raised was more than £76,000.

Tomorrow's ceremony will include a performance from the choir of Middleton St George Primary School, which is benefiting from the extra money raised.

Songs will include Pie Jesu and O Valiant Heart, and there will be a fly-past from a Lancaster bomber, which will be available for viewing later.

Mynarski, a Canadian air gunner, died aged 27 after he battled to save the life of friend Pat Brophy when their Lancaster bomber was attacked over France.

He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.

The plane set out from the airport, then a Royal Canadian Air Force base, at Middleton St George, near Darlington.

* See tomorrow's paper for full details of the unveiling ceremony.