Runcorn Peace Garden to have arrival of Buddhist statue from Thailand

The incredible artefact has been constructed over a period of eight-months and has been donated by a benefactor at Wat Phra Singh UKs in the north of Thailand.

A bronzed Chedi, its design is a replica of one in Chiang Mai, and is based on the ‘Lanna style’.

Chiang Mai was the capital of the old Lanna Kingdom with Lanna meaning one million rice fields.

And it will soon embark on a 5,644-mile journey across the world from The Gulf of Siam via Felixstowe to Runcorn, where it will form the centrepiece of the Reconnecting Runcorn’s High Street Connectivity Project – Community Peace Garden.

Reaching six metres tall, the statue comprises of four main faces, all of which tell a story key to the teachings within Buddhism. The Chedi also features the ‘naga’, a mythical serpent that protected the Buddha whilst he was meditating to gain enlightenment.

The statue has been split into five sections for its journey from Thailand to Runcorn (Image: Supplied)

As a focal point of the Community Peace Garden in Runcorn, works to level off the embankment in the Peace Garden commenced in February and were scheduled for completion at the end of May.

Tony Collacott, trustee of the template, says: “When the idea of the Peace Garden was first conceptualised, there was never a thought that there would be such a spectacular statue coming to Runcorn from Thailand.

“Initially when the idea was born for a peace garden, adjacent to the temple it was just to make use of the piece of land for the community where people could gather, be together or just sit and think on their own.

“I couldn’t quite believe that a benefactor at our parent temple in North Thailand was donating and designing the Chedi to be sent over to Runcorn and take centre stage in the Garden.”

To ensure the statue arrives in one piece it has been split into the five sections it was cast and built in before being carefully wrapped and placed in a crate inside the container.

It will travel with a large Buddha, donated by the parent temple, which will become the centrepiece to the new Ubosot Hall when completed.

This is expected to arrive in the UK in the next few months, with the ‘Si Ra Reuk’ ceremony taking place on Sunday, June 23.