A PENSIONER from Oxford has been picked to take pride of a place on a plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square as part of a living work of art.

Retired teacher Gwynneth Pedler, 83, will sit on the square’s fourth plinth in the early hours, armed with semaphore flags.

The former headteacher of St Andrew’s Primary School, in Headington, Oxford, was one of the first 615 people chosen for Antony Gormley’s One and Other sculpture.

The project involves a different person being on the plinth for an hour each, 24 hours a day, between July 6 and October 14.

Mrs Pedler said: “I am on from 3am, but at least that means I won’t get sunstroke.

“You need to take on challenges to prove that you are still in the world.

“I will be up there with my wheelchair and I will use semaphore flags to say: ‘Hello, I’m here!’”

Mrs Pedler, who uses a wheelchair and a mobility scooter, is also chairman of the Oxford City Access Forum and began campaigning on disability issues about four years ago.

She is the oldest person selected so far to take part in the project.

Among the other 614 people picked include an aquatic scientist, a cyclist who will use pedal power to light up his suit and a student who will celebrate her birthday.

The first participants, who will take part in the project during July, were announced yesterday after being chosen randomly by a computer algorithm from 13,000 applicants.

When the Gormley project finishes, a statue of Battle of Britain hero Sir Keith Park will be displayed.

The fourth plinth was originally created for an equestrian statue but because of insufficient funds nothing was ever commissioned and it remained unused until 1999.

Applications to take part in the project will remain open until September 1.

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