TOUR guides are campaigning to keep the Lion of Scotland sculpture at Holyrood, saying it has become one of the city's most popular landmarks.
City guide, Ros Newlands, who is president of the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations, has won the support of 300 colleagues who are keen for the statue to stay.
They will be meeting MSPs at the Scottish Parliament's Public Petitions Co
mmittee next week to discuss its future.
The 20-tonne granite carving by Cramond sculptor Ronald Rae has proved a big hit with tourists and local people alike since going on show as part of an exhibition in Holyrood Park nearly two years ago.
It has remained in the park opposite the Parliament building after Mr Rae offered it on a free, extended loan earlier this year.
The parliament's arts advisory group initially rejected his offer, but later agreed to allow it to stay till 2010.
Now, Ms Newlands said they were keen to secure the long-term future of the lion.
Ms Newlands said: "As tourist guides, we regularly take visitors on tour round Edinburgh, and we had noticed the amount of admiration it attracted.
"This iconic sculpture attracted comment not just from adults but from all ages. Children in particular are attracted to it in numbers.
"The Lion of Scotland sculpture is a great symbol for Scotland, now with its parliament once more established. How appropriate therefore that the statue be allowed to remain in such a wonderful location and continue to attract attention and admiration from visitors and locals alike."
Her campaign follows a previous petition by Bob Watt, who died earlier this year, which attracted more than 2000 signatures.
But Robin Harper MSP, chairman of the arts advisory group, has written to the committee saying it does not meet their criteria for public art.
Edinburgh tour guide Margaret McLeod, the vice-chairwoman of the Scottish Tourist Guides Association, said the criticism of the statue was "elitist", and the public had very much taken it to heart.
She said: "Our point is that public art should be different from the art in galleries. We're constantly taking visitors round and we see what people like and how they react to it.
"I think the art committee's attitude is snobbish, to be honest. We believe people do engage with this statue. We want to see it here for the future."
Mr Harper said they did not encourage unsolicited loans and gifts.
He wrote: "Our recommendation regarding the Ronald Rae sculpture was that it did not meet with our overall criteria and that we would not be recommending purchase or display within the Parliament grounds, but that we were content for the sculpture to remain in position in the grounds of Historic Scotland for the duration of the current loan to the SPCB which expires in April 2010 and which is not subject to any further extension period."
A spokeswoman at Historic Scotland said: "The future of the sculpture remains a matter for the Scottish Parliament and is not a discussion we are involved in."
The full article contains 520 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
