Selfie sculpture mooted for tapestry home

Bill White said he felt that a statue placed so that visitors could take selfies with outside the building would be a good way to advertise the town and its attractions.

And what better way to get Gala online than a large statue of two foxes looking up at a plum tree?

He said: “At first, I thought about perhaps Sir Walter Scott or Rabbie Burns, but we already have statues of them in the town.

He said: “Then I thought could we consider using Gala’s coat of arms, with the foxes looking at the plum tree as a statue?

“It could be built like the Coulters Candy statues at the other end of Channel Street, which has proved popular.

“Some thought they would be vandalised, but that has not happened.

“Someone has put face coverings on them during the lockdown, and that’s proved to be just as popular.

“With the coat of arms, it would be different, and if people take their selfies there, it’s on social media, and it would be free advertising.”

Mr White also said that the general look of the town’s main shopping street would be bettered by some simple maintenance of rainwater downpipes.

He added: “I’ve been walking up Channel Street and noticed the roan pipes ... there are some black ones, grey ones, navy blue ones, broken ones and rusty ones with bits falling off.

“It wouldn’t take a lot of money to have them painted all one colour, which would improve the look.”

The community council agreed to look into costs for the projects.