Brechin City unveil 'Braveheart' statue outside Glebe Park causing social media storm

The statue, which was made by Brechin stonemason Tom Church, has moved to its new home from the Wallace monument in Stirling

Author: Greg OckrimPublished 6th Sep 2021
Last updated 6th Sep 2021

Brechin City's stadium is the new home to a statue celebrating William Wallace. The inspiration for the piece is the depiction played by Mel Gibson in the movie Braveheart.

Brechiner Tom Church is the stonemason who made the piece and was there to unveil the piece at Glebe Park on Sunday 5 September. It took him 5 months to carve the 13 foot statue.

It's received a mixed reaction from fans on Twitter, with some comparing it to Weatherspoons boss Tim Martin.

The unveiling of the statue has led to Twitter users flooding the club's post with a string of humorous messages regarding the dramatic expression on the statue's face.

One user commented: "Has he accidentally stepped on a piece of Lego?"

Another wrote: "hmmm," with an image of the bronze bust of Ronaldo, which was displayed at Madeira airport in March 2017.

Clark Renilson, 55, community manager, said: "The statue has been in various places throughout Scotland and it was offered to the club just this year as the sculptor is a resident of the town.

"This will be the final resting place, where it will remain.

"There must have been approximately 250 to 300 (people) in total (at the event), so that was a mixture of all age groups."

Fans watch the unveiling at Brechin City's Glebe Park

In a statement the club said: The Club were delighted to host the unveiling of the Braveheart Statue yesterday afternoon at its new home at Glebe Park.

"The sun and crowds came out for a fantastic day to honour the craftsmanship of Brechiner Tommy Church and it was brilliant to see the community of all ages turn out in numbers to support the event.

"Our thanks also go to former Chairman David Birse for compèring and our piper for the day, Cameron Winter.

"A bucket collection for kidney dialysis also raised a brilliant amount for the charity - our thanks go to all for donating."

Hear all the latest news from across Ayrshire on the hour, every hour, at West FM. Listen on FM, via our West FM app, on your DAB radio, online at WESTFM.co.uk, or say ‘Play WEST FM’ on your Smart Speaker.