Blackburn churchman preaches from Trafalgar Square plinth (From Blackburn Citizen)

Blackburn churchman preaches from Trafalgar Square plinth

10:00am Friday 10th July 2009

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NEIL Sutcliffe made art history through his hour stint on the Fourth Plinth yesterday.

The 50-year-old treasurer of Christadelphian Church, Daisy Lane, Blackburn, recited the Bible to the masses while standing on top of a 25ft plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square.

He read parts of the gospels, Sermon on the Mount, parables, the Crucifixion and ended with the Resurrection at 1pm.

The Fourth Plinth has stood empty in the square since 1841 when it was built for an equestrian statue feat William IV.

The other plinths have statues of George IV, Henry Havelock and Sir Charles James Napier.

The site has been commissioned for Antony Gormley to create his living monument where 2,400 different people will take to the plinth for an hour each, 24 hours a day over a 100 days without a break.

Accountant Mr Sutcliffe was almost prevented from taking part after being struck with Cellulitis, an infection in connective tissues which causes severe inflammation, on his leg this week.

But after a course of antibiotics and a doctor’s note he was able to perform.

Mr Sutcliffe, who lives in Preston, said before the event: “I heard about it on the radio and I have seen some of Antony Gormley’s statues and they are stunning so I decided to sign up.

“I was waiting for a reply and I found out I had been picked in June. I thought wow but I hadn’t decided what I was doing.

“I looked at what’s important in my life, what do I feel I could give a message about and I wanted to read to people about Jesus, let the words speak for themselves.

“In 2001 we did a dramatic reading of the Gospel of Mark in Blackburn. It’s very different to reading the words on the page.

“I have some dramatic flair and I can read with emphasis.

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