MAURICE the Hare has returned to Fairford to take up its rightful place in the town, following the destruction of the original sculpture in May, Chris Roberts writes.

Designed and painted by local artist Freya Barlow and called ‘Maurice, the Pride of F-hare-ford’, the hare (part of this year's Cotswold Hare Trail) has retruned to the town to stand proudly protected between the two metal benches at the top of the High Street and watched over by cctv cameras.

After the destruction, Fairford residents rallied round to raise money for a replacement.

Fairford Town Council set up a GoFundMe page and, within hours, the target was reached. The Council was fortunate enough to buy the very last unpainted hare left in the Cotswolds and then asked artists to submit a design for the new hare.

The winning design was chosen by the family of Maurice Jones, on whom the original Town Crier hare design was based and Les Webb, who bought the first hare for the town.

Freya said: "The artwork is based on the original popular Maurice hare design with a few changes to his original outfit. It shows Maurice proudly displaying the beautiful buildings and features of Fairford including the Oxpens, Post Office, Church, Community Centre, Palmer Hall and the Mill, whilst being grounded by the River Coln flowing around his legs."

She added: "I do miss having him in my studio terribly, he was the perfect guest."

Freya has lived in the area for 21 years. She went to Farmor’s School, graduated with a BA (Hons) degree from Bath University and has worked as an artist for many years.

To see more of Freya’s art, visit freyabarlow.com/ or facebook.com/freyabarlowart/.