Fred the tramp may get ring road statue

He was famous for his long white beard and dirty overcoat and was often seen sweeping up the leaves on Wolverhampton's ring road. Now Fred the tramp could be making a sought-after return to the spot in which he called home - two years after his death.

He was famous for his long white beard and dirty overcoat and was often seen sweeping up the leaves on Wolverhampton's ring road. Now Fred the tramp could be making a sought-after return to the spot in which he called home - two years after his death. View our

archive.

An artist from Oxley is designing a bronze statue of Josef Stawinoga, the Polish tramp who lived on the ring road until his death in October 2007. Greg Rudevics, who is also Polish, wants a permanent memorial to the tramp erected in the city.nextpage

"He was such a popular figure in Wolverhampton and I think he needs to be remembered," said Mr Rudevics, an art technician at the Grange School in Shrewsbury. "People in the city need to know what he looked like. I don't want him to be forgotten in years to come." For related Fred the tramp stories, click here.nextpage

Mr Rudevics, 31, has created a small version of the life-sized figure of Fred which he is currently working on, and has included his famous brush and also a rat by his feet. Mr Rudevics, who does horror make-up for theatre groups in the region, is hoping to get permission from Wolverhampton City Council to erect the statue by the end of the year.nextpage

Greg said: "I had seen several groups on Facebook paying tribute to Fred and they were calling for a statue of him to be made. I hope the people of Wolverhampton will get behind me and get permission from the council to make the statue." Visit our Fred the tramp archive.