A statue celebrating the International Year of Co-operatives (IYC) has been unveiled at Midcounties Co-operative's HQ in Warwick.
The statue was erected to celebrate the United Nations designating 2012 as the International Year.
It is based upon the IYC logo and was crafted by mason Chris Wilkinson, who spent three weeks working on it at the Midcounties Co-operative Memorial Masonry centre in Walsall.
Father-of-two Chris, who has worked for the co-operative for more than a decade, said: "I've not worked on a project like this before so I feel very privileged.
"The hardest part was facing the unknown. The Portland stone is very unforgiving of mistakes so it was a little nerve-wracking at times.
"It is a neutral tone so it will change colour as the seasons alter and the sun moves around it. I am really proud of the end result and I would love to do another project like this."
As well as a commemoration, the statue was crafted to showcase the skills possessed by the Masonry team's highly-trained staff.
Simon Fisher, Group General Manager at Midcounties Co-operative Funeral, said: "It is a wonderful statue and a unique opportunity to celebrate the IYC and the 1.4million co-operatives across the globe that help to build a better world."
The Midcounties Co-operative Funeral Group is the largest funeral director in the region, carrying out more than 8,000 funerals each year across the group.
The society has its headquarters in Warwickshire, with trading outlets in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Shropshire, West Midlands, Worcestershire and the surrounding counties.
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