Gurkha memorial in Aldershot gets finishing touches

The statue depicts rifleman Kulbir Thapa Magar carrying an injured soldier from the Leicestershire Regiment off the battlefield

The final touches are being made to a life-sized statue that will honour a town's long history and friendship with the Gurkhas.

The bronze, which will stand in Princes Gardens in Aldershot, depicts Kulbir Thapa Magar - the first Nepalese Gurkha recipient of the Victoria Cross - carrying an injured soldier off the battlefield during World War One.

Greater Rushmoor Nepali Community commissioned the memorial.

It will be unveiled on 25 September.

Retired Gurkha captain and project manager of the Gurkha Memorial Trust, Gary Ghale, was invited to visit the workshop to view sculpture ahead of its unveiling.

He described it as "amazing".

"We wanted the bond and affinity between us and the local community to be represented in the statue so people realise how close we are," he said.

Final touches being made to the metal work of the Gurkha statue

The statue has been created by Hampshire-based sculptor, Amy Goodman.

"It is such an important piece of work historically - it is a celebration of communities working together," she said.

"After lots of consultation we decided it would be very poignant to have that heroic moment when he is carrying his comrade off the battlefield."

His face is set in a grimace "as he is carrying his own injury as well as an injured Tommy", she added.

It will stand opposite the Airborne Soldier sculpture, also created by Ms Goodman.

Last month a 13-day hunger strike outside Downing Street to protest against Gurkhas' unequal pensions ended after the government agreed to further talks.

The Gurkha Equal Rights group confirmed on Twitter that the Nepal and British governments together with Gurkha veterans had later met at the Embassy of Nepal in London "in order to begin the process of addressing Gurkha grievances".