Michael Jackson jacket is spoon art prize at Oswestry centre
A priceless jacket worn by popstar Michael Jackson is the prize on offer for the person supplying the most spoons for a Shropshire company's giant artpiece.
Bosses at the British Ironwork Centre at Aston, near Oswestry, need 15,000 spoons to help them create a 12ft tall gorilla statue for entertainer Uri Geller.
And to help them collect the spoons Mr Geller has donated the jacket he was given by his late friend Mr Jackson.
"Michael and I became great friends," Mr Geller told the Shropshire Star. "We would exchange gifts. Clive and Ben Knowles and their team at the British Ironwork Centre are producing remarkable sculptures and when I saw their work I came up with the idea of the gorilla made out of spoons.
"I love gorillas and the sculpture will help entertain the terminally-ill children who I welcome to my home.
"But they need more spoons and I hope the prize of the jacket will ensure they reach the number they need to complete the sculpture for my garden. A taxi driver offered me over 5,000 spoons for the jacket."
Spoons from all over the world, including New York and Amsterdam, have been arriving at the firm's Oswestry base after an appeal was launched but the demand has grown after initial estimates of 5,000 spoons proved too small.
Mr Geller hopes to fly to Oswestry to pick the gorilla up and take it back to his Berkshire mansion using a cage hanging from a helicopter.
Clive Knowles, from the firm, said: "It has gone absolutely mad and we have had spoons sent from everywhere. I think it is great publicity for Oswestry and for Shropshire and it will be lovely when Uri Geller comes here to our open day in May to unveil the finished work."
To donate spoons visit www.britishironworkcentre.co.uk/uri-geller-spoon-gorilla
