A BRONZE statue of Thomas Hardy by an Upwey sculptor will be exhibited at a London gallery.

The 12-inch bronze relief sculptures will go on display at the Society of Portrait Sculptors exhibition in Cork Street, London, from May 12 to 17.

A limited edition of 50 will be made in bronze and a larger collection will be available in bronze resin.

Jan Graham has been working on the Thomas Hardy sculptures for more than six months and said she got the inspiration from living in Hardy's county.

She said: "It is the first time I have had anything entered in that exhibition and I was really pleased to get my work in because it is a prestigious exhibition to get into.

"I have lived in the area now for 12 years and I am interested in Thomas Hardy so I started making these sculptures."

Secretary of the Thomas Hardy Society Mike Nixon said: "We are pleased to welcome this excellent piece of work to the conference."

The Thomas Hardy Society gets involved in a variety of cultural projects and puts on academic events with scholars and experts.

The sculpture is designed to hang on a wall and will be on display at The Gallery, 28 Cork Street, London.

A range of sculptures will be available to buy at the International Conference at the United Church in Dorchester For more information contact Jan Graham on 01305 814230.