DONATIONS to a statue in honour of Leigh Centurions legend John Woods have almost reached the £10,000 mark.

Championed by the Leigh Past Players, the statue will be a 30ft bronze replica and will stand outside Leigh Sports Village, the home of the Centurions.

Woods scored 2,492 points for Leigh when he starred for the club in the 1970s and 80s and is regarded as being their greatest player of all time.

The cost of the statue is an estimated £30,000, which will be raised through various fundraising events, the next of which will be on Friday, February 5.

A ‘Class of 82’ dinner with players and staff from the squad has already sold out.

Some 15 players and staff, including Ray Tabern – who is making the trip from France especially – will be attending.

Artist Gill Hamilton, whose husband is a former player, is in the process of making an acrylic painting, a one-off piece of memorabilia which will be signed by John and auctioned off at the dinner.

There will also be 15 unique shirts signed by John, 13 of which will be auctioned off at the dinner, one auctioned off on Facebook and another put into a frame and raffled off at £1 a ticket.

Paul Hardman, one of the organisers, said: “There are exciting times ahead.

“We have met the sculptor and John will be going to see him next week to discuss his process, and also he will study John’s features at close quarters.

“The fundraising team are all volunteers and supporters and would like to thank the Leigh public who have donated money towards the cause.

“This has been done by the people of Leigh for the people of Leigh.

“John Woods is an absolute hero to many Leigh people and people are donating their money because they hold him in such high esteem.”

It is hoped that the statue will be put in place before Woods’ 60th birthday, which he will celebrate in September, and both Wigan Council and Leigh Sports Village have given the project their full backing.