A STATUE celebrating Bewdley-born former Prime Minister will be given a royal seal of approval when it is unveiled later this month.

The Duke of Gloucester will visit the town on September 27 to officially unveil the monument in honour of Mr Baldwin, who led the country three times during the inter-war years. In total, he represented Bewdley in the House of Commons for almost 30 years.

A fundraising campaign was launched by Bewdley Civic Society in 2016 and endorsed by current Prime Minister Theresa May, who agreed to be the statue’s patron.

The campaign was overseen by a committee including the Society’s president Mrs Beatrice Grant, who is the great granddaughter of Stanley Baldwin.

Donations from individuals and organisations saw the £150,000 needed raised and sculptor Martin Jennings has completed the bronze piece which will take pride of place in the centre of Bewdley.

Fundraising committee member Andrew Grant said: “During his lifetime, Stanley Baldwin was regarded as one of Worcestershire’s two leading sons, the other being Sir Edward Elgar.

“He is recalled today with deep affection in his county, which known to His Royal Highness in his role as Chancellor of the University of Worcester.

“There are public memorials to Stanley Baldwin at Westminster. Now he will be represented permanently in his own county among “my people”, as he referred to them.”

Mr Baldwin was born in Lower Park in 1867 and a blue plaque marks his place of birthday and can be seen from the junction of Lax Lane and High Street.

He became Conservative MP for Bewdley in 1908, a seat his father had held. Following various ministerial appointments, in 1922 he was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer.

He became Prime Minister in May 1923 before losing power in January the following year. But that was short-lived and he was back in the top job in November 1924 until June 1929. He regained power in June 1935 before retiring in May 1937 and then made Earl Baldwin of Bewdley. He died on December 14, 1947 at the age of 80.