A COMMUNITY hero's campaign to honour poets who provided the inspiration for road names in his Basingstoke suburb is gathering momentum.

The famous names of Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Shelley, Keats, Chaucer and Byron all feature around the roads of Popley - and each is on its way to being commemorated in statue form on land off Shakespeare Road.

The idea was conceived by local resident George Potten, of Dryden Close - and Basingstoke council and Labour MEP Mark Watts are now helping to bring the plan to fruition.

Basingstoke council leader Cllr Rob Donnelly has given his backing to the plan, saying that although it is in the "early stages", some funding has already been promised.

South East Labour MEP Mr Watts, who was visiting Basingstoke in the run-up to next month's Euro elections, has also given his support and is to try to secure European funding for the project.

He said that he hoped the idea would help cut out anti-social behaviour in the area, as the millennium garden - another brainchild of Mr Potten's - has helped to do.

Mr Watts said: "Money has gone into other towns and villages for a variety of community projects and there is no reason why that couldn't happen here in Basingstoke."

Under the scheme, a piece of work by each writer will feature on the statues, and a special tribute will also be built in memory of the Queen Mother. This will feature an original poem written by a local person.

In March, Mr Potten, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, was presented with the winner's award in the Good Citizen category of the Gazette-backed A Place to be Proud of Awards, partly for his commitment to transforming a barren piece of land in Popley into a millennium garden.

Referring to the poets project, Mr Potten said: "Some people don't know what the names mean, but this will bring them to life. This is something for everybody to get involved in, because everybody in Basingstoke could come and see these."