Fortune smiles on Lucky the Dog as he becomes celebrity

Calderdale Council has now installed a path after fans of Lucky the Dog said they wanted the area around the statue in Centre Vale Park in Todmorden to be more accessible.

Last year the statue gained a reputation for bringing luck to anyone who touched it, and shot to fame in a television programme hosted by popular illusionist Derren Brown.

One local family reported a big win on the National Lottery after touching the dog.

The story went viral and now the popular pooch is attracting hordes of local people and visitors from all over the country in the hope they will receive good fortune after patting Lucky on the head, despite Mr Brown revealing that the lucky powers of the statue were just a shaggy dog story and an experiment to see how people reacted.

Top stars also crave a stage, so the council has laid crushed stones around the base of the statue so the dog and his fans can keep their feet clean.

People also said the statue should be easier to find, so it has installed new signposts at each entrance to the park to direct people to the famous pooch.

To complete the picture, the council is also to put up an information sign next to Lucky to recognise him as a true attraction and to tell people the story of Todmorden’s steel-cast star.

The mayor of Calderdale, Coun Nader Fekri, said: “The ‘lucky’ dog has become a massively popular attraction and we are thrilled that people are travelling to Todmorden from as far as the West Midlands and Lincolnshire to see the statue and the park.

“We listened to people and as a result, the new path and signs have made the statue easier to access, and give recognition to the popularity of the dog.”

The dog was the work of local sculptor David Wynne in 2005, and was cast in steel at the local Todmorden foundry, Weir Minerals.

The statue was donated to Centre Vale Park by the sculptor and the foundry, but installation was delayed for several years owing to the extensive flood alleviation works being carried out in the park at the time.

The dog sits on the site of the former home of renowned social reformer John Fielden MP.

robert.sutcliffe@ypn.co.uk