"SERIOUS money” is needed to preserve a historic William Wallace statue for the next 200 years, according to its sword-wielding guardian.
Kilted funk musician Jesse Rae is appealing to readers of The National to safeguard a 31ft sandstone statue of the independence figurehead.
The massive monument overlooking the River Tweed was commissioned by David Stuart Erskine, the 11th Earl of Buchan, in 1814.
But, more than 200 years later, its plinth needs emergency repairs to major cracks and further work is needed to restore its claymore.
As a trustee of the William Wallace Trust which owns it, Rae – whose style and music videos are said to have inspired the Highlander movies – has faced public criticism over the condition of the St Boswells landmark.
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The helmet-wearing musician – who will take the stage at the Glasgow leg of the farewell tour by US funk icon George Clinton in June – confirmed initial work will take place in April.
However, he says much more is needed to protect the statue for the future.
He stated: “It needs serious money for the long term.
“It’s been there for 200 years and as long as I’m alive I’ll guarantee it’s going nowhere.
“But I’d like to make sure it’s here for another 200 years. It just comes down to hard cash.”
Rae led a fundraising drive for the statue in the late 1980s, using his music as a basis. He’s now set up web channel www.WWTV.scot, which broadcasts funk tunes 24 hours a day, as a new platform to drive interest in the statue and the Trust.
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The last renovation scheme was carried out in 1991 thanks to £20,000 in funding from the Saltire Society.
The statue’s current condition was brought to public attention by Isabelle Hay, a member of the Society of William Wallace who has accused the William Wallace Trust of a lack of care.
She told The National the rural site is overgrown and visitor paths and parking are “poorly maintained”, adding: “You should be able to see the statue from the banks of the Tweed but you can’t see anything because it’s so overgrown.
“For a traveller or a visitor, it’s not impressive and it should be. It’s a fantastic statue, it should be an icon that everybody heads to.
“The William Wallace Trust has not stepped up. We need to do something now. The statue is starting to fall apart.”
Rae says that while other heritage bodies “mean well, they never come up with anything”.
And though the statue draws “thousands” of visitors every year, Rae says the tour coach operators that include it in their itineraries do not give anything back.
He said: “Thousands come every year, and the buses come from Edinburgh.
“They’re making money from it but we don’t see anything for the upkeep of the ground and the statue.”
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Rae – who was warned against taking his 5ft claymore into polling stations during his independent campaign for Westminster in 2017 – went on: “People go up there to scatter ashes.
"You have no idea what it means to some people. It’s got a romantic touch to it.
“Whoever wants to help us, that’s all we are needing.
“Maybe people will step in. If you can contribute, then we’ll make sure it’s well looked after.”
As well as the listed statue, Erskine commissioned a classical funeral-style urn at the site, with the inscription: “Sacred to the memory of Wallace/ The peerless Knight of Ellerslie/ Who wav’d on Ayr’s Romantic shore/ The beamy torch of Liberty/ And roaming round from Sea to Sea/ From Glade obscure of gloomy Rock/ His bold companions call’d to free/ The Realm from Edward’s Iron Yoke.”
To donate or for more information, email jesse.rae@wwtv.scot
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