ULVERSTON is a quiet Lancashire town on the southern edge of the Lake District. It has just one claim to fame – an immortal was born here.

The year 1890 saw the birth of Arthur Stanley Jefferson, the son of a music hall impresario. Now, 120 years later, a statue to Jefferson has been erected alongside that of another man with whom he will always be linked.

As Stanley Laurel, Stan became one half of the comic duo Laurel and Hardy, still loved and laughed at all around the world. Their films on DVD regularly outsell the latest Hollywood products.

The two statues, which cost £58,000, were paid for by contributions from hundreds of fans. Most were members of the Sons of the Desert, a global fan network named after one of the pair’s funniest films. About £2,500 came from the Southend branch of the Sons of the Desert, Saps at Sea.

“There is particular affection for Stan and Ollie in Southend,” says Roger Robinson, who organises monthly screenings of L&H classics at the Naval and Military Club. “Many people still have fond memories of the week they performed live at the old Odeon cinema in 1952.”

A contingent from Saps at Sea travelled up to Ulverston to watch the unveiling of the statue by another comic legend, Ken Dodd.

The boys are in good company. Ulverston stands at the edge of Morecambe Bay, facing another famous statue on the far side of the bay – that of comic Eric Morecambe, of Morecambe and Wise fame, who took his stage name from the town.