MALVERN’S striking new buzzard sculpture is proving a big hit with Gazette readers.

After Malvern’s deputy mayor John Jordan described the £17,500 artwork as the town’s answer to the Angel of the North, we asked readers on our website malverngazette.co.uk to tell us what they thought of the buzzards.

People flocked to have their say, with nearly 500 votes being cast in less than a week and almost 80 per cent of them declaring the buzzards as a “brilliant, exciting piece of public art”.

Four per cent consider the sculpture merely “ok”, six per cent “don’t like it very much”

while 10 per cent believe it is a “monstrosity”.

One particularly enthusiastic commenter, RBilsland, described the statue as “an amazing piece of public art”.

Coun Jordan said he had been following the voting with interest and was delighted with the public seal of approval for the statue, which was designed by renowned sculptor Walenty Pytel to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

“Art is in the eye of the beholder and not everyone will like the same thing, but the results seem to indicate it is generally very well liked and that is fantastic,” he said.

“Whatever the reaction it has proved an interesting talking point and people will come to Malvern to see it to express their delight or otherwise.”

Coun Jordan also revealed that Malvern Town Council is considering lighting the statue, in Rosebank Gardens, during the evenings.

A proposal to illuminate it using LED floodlights between dusk and midnight will be considered at the next full town council meeting.