Restoration of Sliema statues

The contribution by correspondent John R. Aquilina on the restoration of the statue of St Dominic in Sliema (January 2) does not give a fair view of the situation and he should have obtained the correct information before going to press.

The restoration of statues and niches in the streets of Sliema is an ongoing project, which Lions Club Sliema has been involved in since 1995. An assessment was made on the condition of all the statues and niches in Sliema and Lions Club Sliema produced a booklet written by Tony Terribile with photos by Charles Calleja. Both these gentlemen gave their service free of charge.

The then mayor of Sliema, Robert Arrigo, and the Sliema local council came out in favour of supporting the project and while retaining administrative decisions, entrusted Lions Club Sliema with logistics and management of the project. Restoration of a batch of 10 niches was satisfactorily terminated.

Having surmounted various technical problems, the present Sliema mayor, Marina Arrigo, with the consent of the Sliema local council, decided that Lions Club Sliema should continue with the project under the previous conditions and finance the restoration of the statue of St Dominic in St Vincent Street. On its part, Lions Club Sliema is financing the restoration of the statue of Our Lady of Sacro Cuor which is situated opposite the statue mentioned by the correspondent and which obviously he did not see. For both these statues the club obtained free expert advice from sculptor Angelo Agius.

Lions Club Sliema takes pride to contribute towards the community and since our projects are the result of teamwork, the club refrains from mentioning any names of the members involved.