The Steel Man: Covid delays huge project to erect landmark Yorkshire sculpture

A spokesperson for the campaign Gerry Clark said the campaign "has been a major go slow" but the public will be informed as soon as it is ready to take off again.

The Steel Man, which would stand over the M1 on the hillside near Meadowhall, has been described as the region's answer to the Angel of the North in Gateshead.

It is envisaged as a celebration of Sheffield's proud steel-making history and of South Yorkshire s modern engineering prowess.

In 2018, a giant heart – Heart of Steel – which will rest within The Steel Man statue was unveiled at Sheffield's Meadowhall shopping centre.

The 1.5 tonne Heart of Steel will sit inside the figure, with up to 150,000 names of people from across the region engraved on it.

Members of the public were also invited to engrave their names or their loved ones on it in return for a £20 donation to the British Heart Foundation. Hundreds of thousands of pounds were raised during this campaign.

The heart statue was designed by former steelworker Steve Mehdi, the same artist behind the Steel Man, and was created with the generous support of numerous Yorkshire businesses.

Among the names added to the heart so far are those of Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders’ grandfathers and that of the late Rotherham comedian Barry Chuckle, who was one half of the Chuckle Brothers.

For more information on The Steel Man project, please visit thesteelman.co.uk