A SPECIAL brew is being crafted to honour a Halton war hero.

Norton Brewery is reviving a First World War recipe to raise funds towards a statue to commemorate Sgt Thomas Mottershead.

The courageous 24-year-old Widnes pilot landed his plane while engulfed in flames from enemy fire, saving the life of his observer in the process.

Campaigners are now just £7,000 short of their appeal for a life sized bronze sculpture of the Victoria Cross recipient.

Tony Miller, from Sandymoor, founder of the Sgt Tom Mottershead appeal, said: “I’m made up. We’ve had a great response from the community.

“We want to keep everything local. This beer will be brewed by people with special needs so it is great to support them.

“The original recipe would have been about one per cent to stop munition workers from getting drunk at dinner time.

“Norton is going to make the strength four per cent so it will have more flavour. The beer will be called Our Hero.”

To begin with, four kegs, each containing 72 pints, will be brewed.

So far two pubs in Runcorn and one in Widnes have come forward to sell the beer.

“We’re looking for one more Widnes pub,” said Tony.

“We will have the beer on sale at the beginning of June. If it sells well we will possibly do it again.”

To donate visit mottersheadstatueappeal.co.uk.

Halton’s three war heroes, who were each awarded Britain’s highest military honour, the Victoria Cross, are being remembered with lasting memorials.

A statue of Runcorn Private Thomas Jones, known as Todger, now stands opposite Runcorn Cenotaph.

He killed a German sniper and captured 102 prisoners single handed.

Sgt Mottershead’s statue will be unveiled on April 1, 2018, the centenary of the formation of the Royal Air Force.

An appeal to remember acting lieutenant Thomas Wilkinson, from West Bank in Widnes, will be launched in January 2019.