Princess Anne to unveil Sefton statue today (Wednesday)

A horse comes face-to-face with the statue of Sefton while sculptor Camilla Le May watches (Image: Archant)

Royalty will be on hand today (Wednesday) to unveil a statue immortalising one of the nation’s bravest horses.

Princess Anne, will cut the ribbon on a new life-sized bronze of the Household Cavalry’s Sefton at the Royal Veterinary College, in North Mymms.

The equine effigy was funded by the Honorary Fellow and Chairman of Norbrook Lord Ballyedmond OBE.

It will recognise and honour the life-time achievements of one of the college’s longest serving senior academics Professor Peter Lees, who retired in 2010.

Professor Stuart Reid, principal at the RVC, said: “As a symbol of resilience and recovery Sefton really is an inspiration and will live long in the memory of those who knew him.

“I would like to thank the generosity of our friend Lord Ballyedmond for his kind donation in recognition of our esteemed colleague Professor Lees that has enabled us create this statue in memory of a great horse”

Sefton will sit outside the college’s Teaching and Research Centre, where Professor Lees’ work to improve the safety and efficacy of drugs designed to reduce pain and suffering of animals continues.

Sefton suffered terrible injuries in the IRA’s Hyde Park bombing of July 1982, in which four men and seven horses died.

In the aftermath of the terrorist attack his story of his recovery captured the nation’s hearts.

He was the worse injured of all the horses and endured eight hours of surgery, a record length for equine surgery in 1982.

Many who knew and rode Sefton provided details for the sculptor, Camilla Le May, to capture the character and spirit of the horse who died in 1993, aged 30.

Lord Ballyedmond said: “I am pleased to be able to offer my support to honour the work of Professor Peter Lees. The statue of Sefton will seal Peter’s place in history for his advancement of pharmacology and unwavering dedication to research”.