Businesses urged to help the bid to bring Lara Croft home to Derby
Added by Love Business East Midlands | 2 September 2026
The organiser of a fundraising campaign to erect a life-sized statue of Lara Croft in Derby is calling on local businesses to help bring her home – saying she will attract visitors and boost the city’s economy.
Luke Earle, who has already raised more than £20,000 of the £30,000 needed to buy and install the statue, says he has had pledges and messages of support from fans all over the world desperate to see her given pride of place.
The fund is currently live on Kickstarter and so far 150 people have pledged money, taking advantage of a range of rewards including a thank you in return for a £5 donation and a promise to put their name on the statue’s plinth in return for a £60 pledge.
At the top of the scale, four mystery bidders have pledged £2,500 to become headline sponsors, providing a huge boost for the fund, which comes to an end on September 14.
With 13 days to go and the total still growing every day, Luke says he is extremely hopeful that he will hit his target.
However, he is now calling on local businesses and community groups to get in on the act by making their own pledge, with the chance for organisations to get their names immortalised on the statue’s plinth in return for a £500 donation.
Not only will their donations bring the statue, which is currently in storage, to its rightful home, Luke says it will also boost the city’s economy by encouraging Tomb Raider fans to visit Derby to learn more about the city where the game was created 30 years ago.
Luke said:
“Lara Croft is a Derby success story and the whole community will stand to benefit from this statue, because fans have been messaging from all over the world to say that if the statue comes here then they would want to come and see it for themselves.
“I organise a Tomb Raider event at QUAD every October and this year it’s a sell-out, with 400 people coming from all over the world. They’ve already booked their accommodation and their presence in the city will benefit the restaurants, bars and cafes over the weekend.
“Lara Croft and Tomb Raider is a huge phenomenon and Derby could benefit enormously by tapping into its success all year round. It would be great if local businesses could help us do that by helping us to get this statue installed.”
Tomb Raider was developed in 1996 by Core Design, based in Ashbourne Road, and went on to spawn a string of sequels and Hollywood films starring Angelina Jolie.
A new Amazon Prime TV series starring Sophie Turner as Lara Croft is due for release next year.
The statue, which is stone-coloured and made of fibreglass, was last seen in public outside the Tomb Raider: The LIVE Experience in Camden until the attraction closed in 2022.
If Luke’s fund is successful, it will be installed on the balcony at the Osnabruck Square end of the Market Hall.
One business which has pledged £500 to help get it there is city PR firm Penguin PR, based in Duffield Road.
Director Simon Burch said:
“Tomb Raider has sold millions of copies all over the world and Lara Croft has become one of the best-known and most famous video game characters of all time – and it all started in Derby.
“That’s something everybody in the city should be proud of, especially since it also brings hundreds of people to Derby every year, and something that, in my view, deserves to be celebrated with a statue.
“We’re delighted to have been able to contribute to this fund and we hope that other businesses will follow suit - and help bring Lara home.”
Anyone wishing to support the campaign can do so by visiting www.bit.ly/Larastatue
