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Home town mural for World Cup hero Sir Geoff Hurst

Richard SteadNorth West
News imageBBC Photograph of the mural of Sir Geoff Hurst in Ashton-under-Lyne. The image shows the painting on the wall of a bar on Wood Street. Sir Geoff is wearing a red England shirt and kicking an old brown football, which appears to be coming out of the wall.BBC
The mural of Sir Geoff Hurst can be seen on Wood Street in the centre of Ashton-under-Lyne

England World Cup-winning hero Sir Geoff Hurst has said "there are no words to describe" having a mural of him in his home town.

Hurst's image has been painted on a wall in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, to honour the striker, who was born at Lake Hospital (now Tameside General) in December 1941.

The West Ham legend, who scored a hat-trick in the 1966 World Cup final, told fans: "People think I'm from London or Essex but not many people know I'm from Ashton-under-Lyne and to see this mural is just incredible."

The mural depicts Hurst's third goal against West Germany as fans streamed on to the Wembley pitch, immortalised in the famous "They think it's all over..." television commentary.

The mural includes that quote from BBC commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme.

News imageAndy Kleek Photograph of the England World Cup legend Sir Geoff Hurst. The image was taken on Wood Street in the centre of Ashton-under-Lyne.Andy Kleek
England World Cup hero Sir Geoff Hurst unveiled the mural in Ashton-under-Lyne

The unveiling ceremony took place at the Street Life Festival, which is organised by a campaign called Make Ashton Great Again.

It is funded by local entrepreneur Andy Kleek, who has supported community events in the Market Avenue area of Ashton-under-Lyne.

Jason Stephenson, a local bar owner who has helped to organise events in the town, said: "There were hundreds of families here to meet Sir Geoff Hurst and there were so many young people who knew who he was.

"It was incredible to see the artist use virtual reality to fill in the blanks and create a masterpiece."

The mural is on a wall opposite a newly created fan zone on Wood Street, which includes benches and a giant screen for watching World Cup matches.

News imagePhotograph of Jason Stephenson, who runs the To The Moon & Back bar on Market Avenue in Ashton-under-Lyne. The image shows the Sir Geoff Hurst mural in the background.
Bar owner Jason Stephenson helps to organise events in Ashton-under-Lyne

Sir Geoff lived in Denton until he was aged six, when his family moved to Chelmsford in Essex.

He went on to make 411 appearances for West Ham and is the last surviving member of England's 1966 team.

The 84-year-old is president of Hyde United FC. His dad, Charlie Hurst, played for the Northern Premier League club in the 1930s.

Two other World Cup winners have been born in Tameside: Jimmy Armfield, who was a member of the England squad in 1966, and Simone Perrotta, who won the competition with Italy in 2006.

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