After Virgin Mary statue is taken from Deeping St Nicholas Church - a pub donates its own statue
People were saddened after a statue of the Virgin Mary went missing from outside a village church last month.
The cherished three-foot-tall white resin statue was taken from its place at St Nicholas Church, in Deeping St Nicholas, over the Easter weekend.
But after reading on Spalding Today about what had happened, the landlords of The Crown Hotel, in Holbeach, stepped in to help.
John Budworth and Martin Forward have owned a similar statue for a number of years and decided to donate it to the church.
“It’s very similar,” said John. “But she does not have her arms open like the one that went missing. We used to have her in our house. She used to stand in the hallway and then went onto the back window in the pub.
“We thought that if she went to the church she would be in a better position there and replace the one that was pinched.
“Now she has found a new home and will be there for many years to come.”
The original statue that went missing had been given to a member of the congregation last year by a lady who is currently unwell.
It had been placed outside the church so that it was visible and for support to her and the community.
The Rev Erica Crust, for St Nicholas Church, said: “What a spontaneously generous and heartfelt gesture.
“Mary will return to the entrance but she is going to be safe inside until we have her secured for outside.
“She is a beautiful marble statue and will again help us remember the lady who donated the original one and the amazing people like John and Martin who respond sensitively and practically to a sad situation.”
John and Martin took over The Crown Hotel last autumn and during the coronavirus lockdown have been helping provide care packages for those in need.
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