A REDWOOD seat has been placed on a hill overlooking the sea in memory of one of the victims of the Shoreham Airshow disaster.

Friends and colleagues donated more than £2,500 to commission the chair in memory of Tony Brightwell, 53, which they have placed in Sheepcote Valley, Brighton, facing The Channel.

The care manager for Sussex Partnership NHS Trust and Brighton and Hove City Council was one of eleven men killed when a Hawker Hunter smashed into the A27 during the Shoreham Airshow on August 22 last year.

His colleague, Kevin Swift, said: "The chair features Foghorn Leghorn [the Looney Tunes character] riding a bicycle wearing a chef's hat with the phrase 'Living the dream' acknowledging Tony's love of the cartoon character, riding his bike and cooking, while not forgetting his sardonic wit.

"It also reflects his desire for flight enabling the person sitting to look up at the sky both by day or night."

Made from sustainable Giant Redwood, the sky-watch chair has been created by Norfolk wood carver Luke Chapman.

Recalling his friend and colleague, Mr Swift added: "He was funny, grumpy... when he came in you would say, 'how are you, Tony,' and he would say 'living the dream'.

"We are quite close team anyway and something as awful as that happening does bring you all together and and I think we wanted to have something to go to to remember him by.

"He will always be missed; I don't think he will ever be replaced. But this feels like a fitting memorial and the process of getting it done has been a positive experience for all of us."

Mr Swift said the support from the city council's parks team, Paul Gorringe in particular, had been "incalculable" in getting the chair in place.

Following Mr Brightwell's death, his fiancee, Lara, said he was the “love of my life", adding: “He was a kind, loving man who always helped others and just enjoyed spending time with family and friends over a bottle of red wine.

“I watched him cycle off into the sun on his treasured Ridgeback bike to watch the airshow at Shoreham for a couple of hours, but he never came home.”