Seven feet tall oak carving of Cheshire Jets captain James Hamilton unveiled

Feb 10 2010 Chester Chronicle

THE Lord Mayor of Chester, Councillor John Ebo, officially unveiled a seven foot solid oak carving of Cheshire Jets captain, James Hamilton, to a packed Northgate Arena on Sunday (February 7).

It marks the completion of a six week project for wood sculptor, Simon O’Rourke, and pays homage to the Jets’ longest serving player.

Made from a piece of 250 year old oak fallen by high winds, the life-size carving took six weeks to complete using only a chainsaw.

James Hamilton, Captain of the Cheshire Jets, was chosen as the subject due to his dedication as a role model for youngsters and his work with the Hoops4Health scheme - run throughout primary schools in West Cheshire.

The Lord Mayor of Chester, Cllr John Ebo, was delighted to unveil the finished sculpture. He said: “The work Simon does is truly astounding. It was a pleasure to reveal the creation to the fans. James does a superb job in the community and it’s a fitting tribute to him.”

Peter Hawkins, Director of the Cheshire Jets, said: “We’re delighted to be able to unveil the statue of James in front of a home crowd at the Northgate Arena. Simon O’Rourke has done an amazing job and created a fantastic piece of art.

“Now we have the life size carving we are hoping to display it somewhere that the general public will be able to appreciate it and the craftsmanship that has gone into creating it.”

Simon O’Rourke, internationally acclaimed sculptor, said: “This sculpture was a great opportunity to work with a team that do so much with the community and also a chance to challenge myself. It’s been a fantastic project and I’m thrilled with the final product.”