Lancaster bomber sculpture site could open by May

The charity behind a life-sized sculpture of a Lancaster bomber hopes to have the site fully completed by May.

The steel structure, which is next to the A46 in Norton Disney, Lincolnshire, has been open to visitors at certain times, but further works need to be completed before it is open seven days a week.

Charlie White, who chairs the Bomber County Gateway Trust, said the site still needs to be landscaped and made accessible for blue badge holders before it officially opens.

Meanwhile, the International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) is planning to expand this year with a new visitor centre following record attendance numbers in 2025.

The Bomber County Gateway Memorial, located close to the Nottinghamshire border, honours RAF crews of World War Two and has been in place since September.

White said the trust is still accepting donations to cover the cost of completing the car park and landscaping. He said it should cost between £7,000 and £10,000.

He added that there is also painting to do, which they plan to complete in the spring.

"We just want to make it a nice space so people can actually come and walk around it safely, there's accessibility and there's places where they can sit down and have a moment of reflection," White said.

The trust said it hoped to have the site finished by May, in time for an official opening ceremony.

Meanwhile, planning permission for a new learning centre at the IBCC in Lincoln has been granted.

Chief executive Nicky van der Drift said they have outgrown the capacity of their existing buildings after welcoming a record number of visitors last year.

Commemorations for the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day boosted numbers, and a display of ceramic poppies also proved popular.

"We knew there was going to be a big focus on remembrance and, of course, that's what we do here," Van der Drift said.

Van der Drift said £1m is needed for the new building and added it will benefit young people.

"It's really for the school children that come to us, but also for community events and family activity days," she said.

Van der Drift said, when the IBCC was officially opened in 2018, it was predicted to attract about 60,000 visitors a year.

"This year we will have hit 150,000 visitors, 10,000 of those were school children," she said.

"Is this anything like the concept we originally thought of? Not at all. But it's doing what we hoped. It's delivering its core purposes of educating people about remembrance, reconciliation and recognition."

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