Great Britons united for Bristol 2018 World Cup campaign

Bristol 2018 World Cup bid was brought to life in Trafalgar Square when Lord Nelson was joined by another historical great, Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

A young Bristolian dressed as the famous engineer Brunel in top hat and coat-tails took to the fourth plinth in central London juggling a football and waving 'Back Bristol' banners to promote his city's application to become a host venue for the 2018 World Cup.

Brunel was responsible for much of Bristol's stunning architecture including the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Temple Meads station and revolutionised travel with his work on the Great Western Railway and steamships such as the ss Great Britain.

Such is the lauded engineer's prominence in the history of Bristol and Britain he came second behind Winston Churchill in a 2002 TV poll of "100 Greatest Britons" conducted by the BBC and voted for by the public.

In 1841, when the fourth plinth was built, Brunel was overseeing the opening of the railway line from London to Bristol.

The journey can now be made in a mere 1hr 40mins, Brunel's engineering paving the way for the high speed trains of today and placing Bristol within an easy escape from the capital.

With the addition of the M4, and based as it is on the junction with the M5, the city is well placed to provide the sort of accessibility and transport infrastructure required for World Cup host venue status, and act as a gateway to the West Country for the thousands of visiting World Cup fans.

Behind the disguise on the plinth last Monday in the shadow of Nelson's Column was Pete Smith, 26, from Ashton who won an hour long slot as part of Antony Gormley's One & Other art project .

"I've been working on the Bristol World Cup bid so I knew what I'd do with my hour as soon as I had the spot," said Mr Smith, who has been helping the Bristol 2018 bid team promote the bid via social media.

"Brunel is one of the major reasons that Bristol is so great today. 150 years after his death I wanted to honour Brunel and promote Bristol's bid.

"Brunel built Bristol and as a city we are rightly very proud of his work. Brunel's landmarks ensure that Bristol is still a robust yet gracious city that will make a brilliant city for football fans from across the world to explore."

Gormley's One & Other project allows members of the public to stand on the plinth for an hour at a time and has made headlines across the world since it began in July.

"Being a part of this project was a real honour. London is famous for the arts and Bristol's reputation is growing. Damien Hirst was born here, we have Banksy, the Royal West of England Academy, the Arnolfini and other projects going on all the time".

Bristol saw the Banksy vs Bristol Museum exhibition attract more than 300,000 visitors this summer, attracting fans from across the country and further afield.

The city is one of 16 applicants to be part of England's 2018 World Cup bid. The England 2018 team will select 12 venues in December this year and FIFA will rule in December 2010 which country has won the right to stage the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

If selected and England are successful Bristol, the street party capital of the UK, will welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors.