Memorial statue of friendly goose who won the hearts of a Shropshire town to be unveiled
A friendly goose who greeted visitors and became an ‘ambassador’ for a north Shropshire town is being commemorated with a statue.
George, a Chinese goose, lived on the mere at Ellesmere for more than 20 years before his death in March.
Now, the community has raised funds to commemorate the friendly goose with a statue. The statue will sit in the shallow waters adjoining the mere promenade, where George used to greet visitors.
Town mayor Councillor Anne Wignall will unveil the statue this Saturday. Councillor Wignall said: “He always seemed so pleased to see everyone and always had a bit of a twinkle in his eye.
"He lived on the mere for 22 years with his numerous partners and children and became a real ambassador for the town.
“Generations of children enjoyed coming to feed this charismatic goose, while older people appreciated the interaction with him, particularly during the dark days of lockdown. It was almost as if he knew you and he made everyone feel happy.
“Many locals knew George and were very sad when they heard that he’d died, he was a real character at the mere for such a long time and we really miss him.
“This statue will hopefully give pleasure to children, residents and visitors for many years to come and will acknowledge the other wildlife on the mere which play such an important part in Ellesmere’s tourism."
The mayor said she was grateful to everyone involved in the project, especially resident Rebecca Moore, who launched the fundraising campaign to buy the statue.
The unveiling will take place ahead of the Ellesmere carnival on Saturday at 11am near the ice-cream kiosk on the promenade.
