A HAWORTH sculptor is giving hundreds of people a chance to own part of a striking installation he created to celebrate the Tour de France.

Craig Dyson is selling £20 shares in his eye-catching creation, which is called La Famille De Cuivre (The Copper Family).

The unmissable, huge sphere, currently mounted in Haworth Central Park, was made out of 28,000 donated two-pence pieces, some of which were sent from as far afield as Canada and China.

Mr Dyson said the artwork now stands as a monument to community effort, and he wanted to reflect this collective contribution by distributing shares rather than find a single, corporate sponsor.

“Each share costs £20 and includes an engraved, bronze token and certificate of ownership,” he explained.

“550 of these shares have been made available, of which around half have already gone.

“As each share isn’t assigned to a particular name they can be passed on to other family members in the future, offering a legacy.

“The response to the sculpture has been great, and it features more community involvement than any other sculpture I know of. Haworth people feel a real sense of ownership of it.

“It transcends different people’s backgrounds, because I was only asking them for two-pence pieces, which meant anyone could donate and get involved.

“It’s not as if each person had to give something like £200.

“The sculpture was quite a technical job, because it required a large framework on which to attach the coins.

“I need to cover the costs and instead of having one corporate backer I’ve made things a bit harder for myself by giving the sculpture back to the people at a very affordable price.”

My Dyson said shares would be on offer next Sunday, May 3, from noon-5pm beside the sculpture in Haworth Park.

This will coincide with the Tour de Yorkshire passing through the village.

They will also be available beside the Copper Family sculpture during Haworth 1940s Weekend next month.

Mr Dyson added that although the artwork will remain in the park for the foreseeable future he does hope to find a more permanent, prominent location for it elsewhere in the village.

“It needs to remain in Haworth, because this is its birthplace and it is where it has received so much support,” he said.