'Statue would remind me of my husband's death'

Wendy Pleasent said seeing the bull statue would bring up the trauma of her husband's death

A woman whose husband was trampled by cows says she may be forced to move if plans for a bull statue near her house go ahead.

Wendy Pleasent, 73, from Wreay near Carlisle, said she was horrified when she heard Cumberland Council planned to place the statue on a new roundabout near her home.

Malcolm Flynn died after being attacked by the cattle while walking with a friend on a footpath near Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland in 2020. His widow said seeing the statue "will bring back the trauma for me every day of my life - I won't be able to avoid it".

Cumberland Council said the sculpture was designed to celebrate agricultural heritage and was "never intended to cause personal distress".

Mrs Pleasent said: "I think it's going to force me into selling my house - I don't think I can face it every day, it's more than anyone should expect me to do."

She added her husband was used to being around animals and his death had come as a shock.

"I couldn't comprehend what was going on, it was the last thing on earth I imagined would happen when I kissed him goodbye in the morning," she said.

Plans are in place to put the statue on a roundabout in Brisco

The council wants to place the statue of a Limousin bull on a roundabout in Brisco, part of Carlisle's new Southern Link Road.

A spokesman for the authority explained the Limousin breed was closely associated with the region and quoted the sale of the "world-record Limousin bull" Rambo by the Borderway Auction Marts in 2022 as an example.

"The artwork is designed to sit harmoniously within this existing landscape, reflecting the livestock that are already a familiar feature of the area," they added.

Mrs Pleasent wants the council to change the location, and said she would see it "whichever way I try to leave my house".

"This situation is bringing the whole thing up again, it's as if I'm being taken through the experience again," she said.

Malcolm Flynn died in Northumberland in 2020 after he was attacked by cows

Cumberland Council said it understood the situation was "deeply personal" for Mrs Pleasent and had made several adjustments to the statue's design "to support her and some specific needs".

"We have also undertaken work around her property, including replacement fencing and access improvements," a spokesman said.

"We remain committed to engaging with [Mrs Pleasent] directly to explore any further reasonable steps that could help reduce the impact, as well as continuing to update the wider community about the project."