Steve Cooper honoured with ice sculpture at Nottingham Winter Wonderland
Nottingham Forest manager, Steve Cooper, has been honoured with a sensational life size ice sculpture at Nottingham Winter Wonderland, to mark his stunning achievements with Nottingham Forest in 2022.
Nottingham based entertainments company, The Mellors Group, owned by a family of ardent Forest fans, has honoured The Reds’ boss by placing an ice sculpture of him front and centre in their ‘miracles’ themed ‘Ice Bar’, part of Nottingham’s Winter Wonderland that also features, ‘Sky Skate’, the UK’s first aerial ice rink.
The Ice Bar’s ‘miracles’ theme includes ice sculptures of Cinderella, the Gingerbread Man and other fairy-tale characters. Cooper’s career at Forest so far, has been – almost – unbelievable, earning him a place amongst these iconic characters.
The life-size Steve Cooper statue was created by ‘Sand in Your Eye’ and will be in the Winter Wonderland Ice Bar until New Year’s Eve – guaranteed to become Nottingham’s number one selfie spot this Christmas while visitors enjoy a drink or two in the super-chilly attraction located in Old Market Square.
The statue brings a second football icon to the centre of Nottingham, a statue of legendary Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough having been unveiled nearby in 2008.
Welshman Steve Cooper began his managerial career working with England youth squads, winning the Under 17s World Cup with players such as Phil Foden and Conor Gallagher, both of whom have travelled to Qatar this winter with the senior squad seeking to emulate that feat on the biggest stage of all.
Edward Mellors, Director at The Mellors Group, said: “We’re delighted to unveil this magnificent ice sculpture of Steve Cooper. We’re all huge Forest fans at The Mellors Group and what he has done for our club, and our city – putting us back in the big time – really does feel like a miracle.
“This is our way of saying thanks to Steve for making the city believe once again. We’re looking forward to welcoming Forest fans along to Ice Bar and we hope we’ll be seeing Steve, and Forest, in the Premier League for many years to come”.
Cooper wrote his name in Nottingham Forest history in 2022, when he achieved the greatest Championship recover ever and returned The Reds, two times European Champions, to the Premier League following a 23-year-hiatus.
Forest have endured a testing start to the season, but Cooper has turned around the team’s form in recent weeks giving fans a sense of renewed optimism for the second half of the season after the World Cup.
The Ice Bar is open between November 15th and December 31st. To book this and other Winter Wonderland attractions visit https://nottinghamwinterwonderland.co.uk/
