DETAILS of how Bolton's towering tribute to sport will be erected have been unveiled by the sculpture's designers.
The golden 85ft Spirit of Sport statute will go up on the De Havilland Roundabout, next to the Reebok Stadium.
Workmen will build an internal staircase column piece-by-piece which will be used to support the rest of the structure, including 12 outer segments which will form the statue's shell. The plan has been drawn up by Eaton Waygood Associates.
The segments, which will be assembled in a factory in Enfield and brought to Bolton by lorry, will be covered in thousands of panels featuring the images of sportsmen and women from around the borough.
To support the sculpture, four concrete piles will be driven into the ground up to 12 metres deep.
These surroundings will then be covered in by a four metre high earth mound that will be finished with grass to match the rest of the roundabout.
Finally, three large external lighting rigs will be installed inside the shell of the sculpture making it capable of producing a glow which will be seen for miles around.
work on the project is expected to start in May with the statue being officially unveiled at a special ceremony later in the year.
Terry Eaton, of the designers, said a number of engineering feats had to be produced to produce the trophy-like statue.
He said: "For us it was a matter of producing a design we wanted and then comparing it to what we thought was possible to do.
"With a project as big as this we expect to face a number of on-going issues such as when to buy the large amount of steel needed when the market conditions are most favourable."
At 85ft tall, the sculpture, likened to the Jules Rimet trophy which was awarded to winners of the World Cup until 1970, will tower 21ft higher than Gateshead's Angel of the North and will be 14ft taller than Britain's second biggest sculpture, North Tyneside's Tyne Anew.
It also incorporates the look of a propeller into a twisting sculpture in homage to the area's former use as an aerospace works.
Around 400 teams, clubs and schools from across the borough are being allowed until Friday to name the members they would like to represent them on the sculpture.
l To make an entry, call Nicky Robinson at Bolton Council on 01204 336261 as soon as possible.
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