A sculpture honouring the women of a regional daily’s patch is set to be erected following a campaign by the newspaper.

The Yorkshire Evening Post joined Leeds West MP Rachel Reeves in launching the bid for a lasting tribute to Leeds women on International Women’s Day in March 2017.

It has since been revealed the sculpture will be sited at the new Gateway Court at Quarry Hill, close to Leeds Playhouse and Leeds Arts University, which is managing the project.

The search is now on for the artist who will create the piece and a shortlist of six will be unveiled in December, with the sculpture being put in place by 2020.

How the YEP launched the campaign

The YEP asked readers to name the women they thought should be recognised, with athlete Jane Tomlinson, charity founder Sue Ryder, musician Dame Fanny Waterman, women’s suffrage campaigner Isabella Ford, cyclist Beryl Burton, boxer Nicola Adams and MP Jo Cox picked.

The final subject of the statue is still to be decided.

YEP editor Hannah Thaxter said: “This is fantastic news. The Yorkshire Evening Post readers were behind this right from the start, and came up with some fantastic suggestions of women who deserved to be honoured.

“We have a proud history of strong women in Leeds and it’s right that this statue will recognise the achievements of women in general and be a modern piece of artwork in keeping with the kind if city we are.”

The selected artist will be paid a fee of £10,000 for the piece, which is expected to cost around £40,000 to be produced.

A major fundraising campaign will be launched to coincide with an exhibition of shortlisted artists next year.