Memorial statue planned for railway station cat

A ginger cat dubbed a "social media hero" by a council manager could be immortalised by a bronze sculpture at a railway station.

Nala, who died last year, was well-known to people catching trains at Stevenage, where she would greet commuters from her perch on a ticket barrier.

After her death in December, owner Natasha Ambler said she was devastated to lose "a member of the family".

If approved, a 5.5ft (1.7m) statue with a stainless steel or concrete pedestal would be situated on the eastern side of the station.

Artist Ben Twiston-Davies was delighted to have been selected for the project after he met Nala a couple of times, and said he was determined to make a "really beautiful and uplifting piece of public art".

"On both occasions, it prompted a lovely friendly conversation with a complete stranger, a moment of delight and joy," he said.

"Nala, like most cats, was the most beguiling and elegant creature."

Twiston-Davies said there would be plenty of room on the platform for people to have "a moment with Nala".

"The sculpture will be out of the way of the flow of pedestrians and will cause no nuisance or obstruction," he added.

As Nala loved to roam and would often go exploring in the neighbourhood, she was fitted with a GPS tracking device and had a collar with her name and details on.

A Facebook page dedicated to her adventures grew to have 25,000 followers.

In 2023, she released a Christmas single called Meow, with its music video filmed in Stevenage station.

Tara Hood, who started a fundraising campaign for the sculpture, said: "I think the proposed location is perfect to showcase such a stunning piece of artwork and a very beneficial memorial to Nala, who was so beloved by the community."

Geoff Caine, who submitted the application and is the culture, wellbeing and leisure services manager at Stevenage Borough Council said: "Nala was well loved in Stevenage and was a social media hero.

"We were approached by the fundraiser. It was clear that a statue was not viable in the train station itself due to a number of factors.

"We considered a number of council owned locations near to the station and we all agreed that the location was appropriate given the high footfall to the station and town centre."

Caine said he expected the application to be approved in the next six weeks.

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