ACTRESS Dame Penelope Keith, famous for her role as posh Margo Leadbetter in The Good Life, unveiled a statue of the great 18th Century political activist and social reformer William Cobbett at the new Churchill Retirement Living complex on Long Bridge in Farnham on Monday.

Designed by late sculptor Sheila Mitchell, the bronze has been eight years in the making and was unveiled in front of a large crowd, including Sheila’s husband, Charles Bone, and dignitaries.

Dame Penelope encouraged the crowd to count down from 10 before she pulled the red cover from the statue, unveiling the impressive sculpture of Cobbett riding his horse accompanied by his faithful dog.

The artwork now adorns one of the key entrances to Farnham at the corner of Long Bridge and Downing Street, just metres from Cobbett’s birth place on Bridge Square and his final resting place in the St Andrew’s churchyard.

Dame Penelope said: “It was a privilege for me to unveil this beautiful statue today. I hope it will serve to highlight to the people of Farnham the life and achievements of a little known but really quite extraordinary figure in British history.”

Mr Bone, a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours, added: “It has taken many years of hard work to get to this point, and I’m delighted to see the statue finally take pride of place in such a wonderful location at the heart of the town.”

He also thanked Churchill Retirement Living for its £10,000 contribution to complete the £50,000 needed to make the statue a reality, as well as providing a long sought-after home for his late wife’s parting gift to the Farnham community.

Churchill chairman and chief executive officer Spencer McCarthy was also in the crowd in Monday to witness the grand unveiling, and said: “The statue will make a real contribution to Farnham’s heritage. I’m glad we could provide the perfect location for it to live as the finishing feature of this beautiful new development.”

The company has sold 39 of the 50 purpose-built retirement apartments for the over-60s at Hawthorn Lodge, named after another great son of Farnham, 1957 Formula One world champion Mike Hawthorn.