Comedian Bobby Ball is to be honoured with a statue in his adopted home town of Lytham.

The coastal town, two miles from the entertainment mecca of Blackpool, was his home from the mid 1990s until his death in October at the age of 76.

Ball's - real name Robert Harper - widow, Yvonne, said this week that he would have been "elated" at the news that a statue in his likeness is to be positioned near the Lowther Pavilion theatre.

He was a patron of the venue, which is sited within the town's Lowther Gardens, overlooking the Ribble estuary.

The local authority, Fylde Council, has already voted in favour of the statue. To be one-and-a-half times life-size, and based on his appearance at his 40th birthday celebrations, it will be cast in bronze and highlighted by the comedian's trademark red braces.

A fundraising campaign is expected to launch next week, aiming to raise the estimated £100,000 required for the statue and its plinth.

Yvonne explained that Bobby had long joked about how he wished to be remembered, "saying 'I want a statue in Lytham'.

"He used to say to people 'where's my statue, where's my statue?' I used to reply 'you're not dead yet Bob.'"

She said: "A walk and sit in Lowther Gardens was a favourite pastime but always ended up taking longer than anticipated and would turn into a 'promote Lytham' exercise, while Bobby happily chatted and let people know how lucky he felt to be living here."

Fylde Council leader, Cllr Karen Buckley said: "Bobby was a very special, incredibly talented and unique individual who was truly adopted by the locals of Lytham St Annes.

"His lasting legacy of kindness and joy means he will be sadly missed and this statue will ensure he can go on giving that joy to visitors and residents of the area long after Bobby took his final bow and left the stage. We believe that Lowther Gardens is the perfect place for Bobby to be remembered and to remain part of the community as well as in our hearts."

Pavilion manager Tim Lince told local newspaper The Blackpool Gazette: "The whole team at Lowther 100 per cent supports this idea. Bobby was more than just a local comedian for our theatre. Bobby was a great supporter and helped us fund-raise, he wasn't just supportive of the professional acts, but the amateur groups as well.

"He was a real community player, and he would often drop in with his mischievous laugh coming down the corridor. He is a great, great loss to Lowther. The volunteers, the staff and everyone else would like to see something done to honour his memory."

An extended, hour-long edit of ITV's tribute documentary Rock On, Tommy: The Bobby Ball Story will air on the channel at 10:15pm on Wednesday 30th December.

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