A High Wycombe sculptor has spearheaded a project to erect a statue commemorating a WWII Polish heroine who rescued thousands of Jewish children from the Warsaw ghetto. 

From his studio in Queens Road, Andrew Lilley will create a bronze statue of Irena Sendler, a Polish health worker who risked her life to save more than 2,500 children.

The statue, which will depict her rescuing two children, will be donated to the National Holocaust Centre and Museum in Newark-on-Trent. 

Andrew applied to the Arts Council England for a grant to fund its creation but it was rejected and the sculptor is now appealing for public bodies, individuals or charities to donate money. 

The statue will take around 18 months to complete and will cost around £67,000.