It is a great shame for the supporters of the idea of a statue of the late Bryan Mosley being erected in Shipley as both a tribute to the actor and a tourist attraction that the project seems in danger of foundering.

There were very ambitious plans put forward when the notion of a memorial to the Coronation Street stalwart was first launched in 1999. The then Lord Mayor, Councillor Tony Miller, envisaged appointing a fund-raiser to generate up to £30,000 to pay for the statue, with any money left over going to help underprivileged performing-arts students. Star names including Sir Cliff Richard, Ken Dodd, Bill Roache and Sue Nicholls agreed to become patrons of the trust fund.

However, on the eve of the year 2001, the fund has barely scraped into double figures. The £10 currently in the kitty is clearly the result of fund-raising inertia rather than of any lack of affection for Mr Mosley. Bill Roache, for example, says he would be willing to personally contribute to the appeal and support any fund-raising event if someone asked him.

At its January meeting, the Shipley Town Centre Partnership needs to take a hard look at the plan. If it decides to go ahead, it must get its act together and begin some energetic fund-raising.

Alternatively, it could adopt the attitude of Mr Mosley's widow, who believes that what matters is that her husband was liked in his lifetime. Statue or not, very many people will retain warm memories of him both as a man and as one of the favourite characters in a much-loved TV drama.