Actors unveil statue at Robin Hood Airport
02.03.07
A statue of the famous outlaw Robin Hood has been unveiled at the Robin Hood Airport (Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield to give it its full name). South Yorkshire-born actors Brian Blessed (from Doncaster) and Sean Bean (from Sheffield) unveiled the 10ft (3.05m) bronze statue at the airport on Wednesday.
Robin Hood had links with Doncaster, but there has been a centuries-old debate over whether he was born in Yorkshire or Nottinghamshire. Mr Bean, who was born in Sheffield, said in medieval times Nottinghamshire's Sherwood Forest, where Robin Hood is said to have lived, stretched up to and past the Yorkshire border. He said the outlaw was also referred to as Robin of Loxley, a small village north west of Sheffield city centre.
Britain's newest airport, which opened almost two years ago, claims the bronze sculpture created by Neale Andrew is the biggest of Robin Hood in England. The sculpture is situated on the first floor of the terminal so that all passengers travelling through the airport will see it.
Airport managing director, David Ryall, said: 'Both Sean and Brian are proud of their Yorkshire roots, and remain committed to the ongoing development of the region, so we were delighted that they were able to mark this occasion with us.'
'The statue, based on paintings from the time now adorning the walls of the church of St Peter and St Paul's in Pickering, North Yorkshire, is as close as you can get to how Robin appeared at the time.'
Since opening in April 2005, the airport has welcomed 1.68 million passengers through its doors. It now hosts a number of airlines, including Ryanair and Thomsonfly, with flights to 45 destinations. Later this year, new routes to Canada and Pakistan will open.
