We commissioned a brilliant sculptor, Jacko, to create a life size bronze statue of “Poppa” to stand outside The NSIC.
The finished bronze was revealed when unveiled in June 2012 at Stoke Mandeville Stadium. It is now permanently sited to stand proudly outside the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.
It is a stunning likeness and is much admired by The Guttmann family and those who knew Poppa. It is genuinely life size (5’6”) and is positioned for people to stand or wheel beside it. His elbow is resting on a representation of a Paralympic Games medal podium. He had a trait of encouraging and praising patients by placing his hand on their shoulder, hence the pose.
The statue was installed on 29th August 2013. This was the first anniversary of the opening of the 2012 London Paralympic Games; the Poppa Guttmann Trust donated the statue to the Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust on this occasion. Now, both patients and the general public are able to “meet” the father of modern medical care for paraplegics, which serves as a visual reminder of an important part of Stoke Mandeville history.
About the sculptor, Jacko
Jacko is not only a great sculptor but is a “near miss” in Spinal Injury terms having survived a serious parachuting accident. Like most Spinal Cord Injured (SCI) people he had to rethink his career and, having left the army, trained in Florence as a sculptor (www.jackoart.com). Jacko started his studies at the Charles H. Cecil Studios in 2003. Having painted in London for a few years, he returned to Florence to continue studying and, latterly, to teach sculpture.
Seeking to combine passions for painting and travel, landscaping trips have ranged from West Scotland to East Africa; commissions have also generated visits to Southern Afghanistan and Baghdad.
The Trust commissioned a life size bronze statue of “Poppa”. The work on the statue progressed well but tragedy struck when the foundry was destroyed by fire and the mould lost before it could be used. Jacko had to start again from scratch but it was ready for its unveiling in June 2012. It now stands outside the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville.