UK widow Wendy Pleasant whose husband was killed by cows fuming council put bull statue outside home

A widow whose husband was trampled to death by cattle is fuming over plans to install a large sculpture of a bull just yards from her house.

Wendy Pleasant’s husband Malcolm Flynn, 72, was killed in Northumberland in 2020 when he was attacked by a herd of cows and bulls.

The couple lived in their detached home near Wreay, Cumbria, for around a year until his death.

As part of new works done on the Brisco Roundabout on the new Southern Link Road, 50 yards from her house, a Limousin Bull sculpture is set to be installed.

The bull – which will be created from weathered steel and weighing around four tons – aims to immortalize Cumbria’s proud agricultural heritage.

Upon hearing the news, Wendy, 73, complained to Cumberland Council, though she said she has been left appalled by their decision to install the artwork despite her pleas.

She says it will be directly in her eyeline whenever she leaves her property and will be a daily reminder of the tragedy which led to Malcolm’s death.

“It’s so uncaring of them,” Wendy, a retired professional hotelier, said.

“All I am asking for is some understanding but when I asked them to not put this statue right outside my home the response was ‘you’re just one person’.

“My feelings should count for something, surely.”

Wendy said that dealing with the tragedy, which was investigated at an inquest earlier this year, has been “hell on earth.”

In March, an investigation concluded that Malcolm, who was a retired science teacher, died as a result of an accident.

She made Cumberland Council aware of her objection to the statue’s planned location and the underlying reason several months ago, and says the decision is insensitive.

She said: “They seem to be saying that how I feel doesn’t count.

“But I pay my rate like everybody else – I should feature somewhere in somebody’s thoughts.

“It’s not as though I’m asking them not to do it.

“I just don’t want them to put it on that roundabout.”

She said that council officials invited her to view the statue last week in an attempt to allay her fears, but the experience did not change her mind.

She now wonders whether she will be able to bear living so near to a constant reminder of how Malcolm died.

Wendy has already lived through months of disruption while the roundabout was being constructed, saying it has been “difficult”.

She said: “I was diagnosed with cancer after my husband died, and I’ve had to get out to hospital and had all these road works going on around me.

“At one stage, I was totally fenced in because you couldn’t get along that road.

“I had to keep my car in their compound and the only way I could get out was for one of their workmen to take me in a vehicle to my car to go out.

“For them to put this cow on that roundabout will be the crowning glory to it.

“Nobody has asked us locally if we wanted this statue, and goodness knows what it has cost – it was just presented as a fait accompli.

“But I do not want to just sit back and let them do it.”

The metal artwork aims to immortalize the Limousin bull Graiggoch Rambo, which sold for 180,000 guineas at a special breed sale in Carlisle.

It aims to symbolise strength, resilience, and the link between the county’s past and future.

Sculptor Ellie Barden, 35, spotted the bull as he grazed the fields at Whinfellpark, near Penrith, on her daily drive to work near Penrith.

When she was commissioned to craft two new sculptures for Cumberland Council, she chose the world price-beating bull as one of her inspirations.

A Cumberland Council spokesperson said: “Cumberland Council understands that this situation is deeply personal for Mrs Pleasant, and we appreciate the sensitivity of her concerns.

“We have been engaged with her throughout the construction phase of the project, making several adjustments to the design and our build programme to support her and some specific needs.

“We have also undertaken work around her property, including replacement fencing and access improvements.

“Additionally, we arranged and hosted a personal visit to Grace Forge, where the sculpture is being created, to provide a deeper understanding of the project and its purpose.

“The decision to commission a Limousin bull sculpture was made following consultation and widespread support for a piece that celebrates the agricultural heritage of the Brisco area.

“The installation is designed to honour both the history of the area and its future.

“The decision regarding its placement and subject matter was based entirely on community heritage, independent of any individual circumstances, and was never intended to cause personal distress.

“The artwork is designed to sit harmoniously within this existing landscape, reflecting the livestock that are already a familiar feature of the area.

“We value all feedback, and we recognise that the installation coincides with a very difficult personal association for Mrs Pleasant.

“We remain committed to engaging with her directly to explore any further reasonable steps that could help reduce the impact, as well as continuing to update the wider community about the project.”

Wendy reverted to using her maiden name after her husband died.