Source: FOOTYMAD
Donate To The Jimmy Hill Tribute Appeal Says Joe Elliott
Mr Coventry urges you to support appeal Having been a Coventry City supporter since 1955, I like many of you have witnessed some amazing ups and downs with our beloved football club.I am sure everybody in the City and surrounding areas, supporters and non-supporters alike will say that a successful football club does so much to lift and motivate a City and in turn build the reputation around the world.There have been two iconic periods in the Club's history, the first the Jimmy Hill era and then the 1987 FA Cup victory. In 1955 when I started supporting Coventry City we were a run of the mill Division Three side heading towards the Fourth Division. A brief run of success saw us back in the Third but after a dramatic FA Cup exit against Kings Lynn the Chairman, Derrick Robins, pulled off a master stroke and appointed Jimmy Hill as Manager who was to have total control on and off the pitch.To be a Sky Blue supporter from then on was so exciting and Jimmy gave us a great enhancement to our lives with all that was good on and off the pitch with regular promotions and Cup runs and the opportunity of seeing the best players in the world for another 34 years. Those iconic times were created by so many unique and ground breaking ideas that created a huge band of supporters. Jimmy is a legend and who will ever forget him riding around the Highfield Road pitch on horseback, the Sky Blue Specials trains and mind blowing excitement week in and week out. Remember the Sunderland cup victory, Manchester United a few days later and of course the Wolves game when we won the title and the chance for us all to share in 34 years in the top flight.These memories are just a small reason why we have decided to launch The Jimmy Hill Tribute Appeal so we can build a larger than life statue at the Ricoh.The Ricoh Arena, home of the Sky Blues, will be the place that this statue will sit in a wonderfully prominent position right outside the main entrance. This of course will also be the City of Coventry Stadium for the 2012 Olympics.The statue will be sculpted by the world famous artist Nicholas Dimbleby who will produce a piece of art that will last forever. Nicholas is the son of Richard and brother of David and Jonathon.We are launching the Jimmy Hill Tribute Appeal on Wednesday 16th June and that will culminate on the 31st July at the West Bromwich Albion friendly game at the Ricoh.We need to move fast to give Nicholas time to fit it in to his schedule and to have it erected by early 2012 and we need to raise £150,000.00 for this project that will stamp Coventry City history at the Ricoh forever.So please help us to achieve this piece of history as soon as possible. We are hoping that Jimmy will be with us for the West Bromwich Albion match that we will be calling the Jimmy Hill Tribute Day and although Jimmy is not in the best of health the family are doing all they can to make sure he is with us. Who will ever forget the last match at Highfield Road and the first one at the Ricoh Arena with him leading the Sky Blue song on both occasions!!Details of how you can help are below and further details are available by following the links in this email, so please help us achieve our target.You can donate at any branch of the Coventry Building Society who have very kindly agreed to offer their help to this appeal. Or you can contact Michelle Ridley on 02476 786300 for credit card donations.A special donation of £5,000.00 will mean that your name will be on the plinth of the statue on an engraved individual brass plate.A special donation of £12,000.00 will mean that your name will be on the plinth of the statue on an engraved individual brass plate and you will be presented with a scaled down model around 15 inches high of the Jimmy Hill statue, this will be sculptured by the artist and will be a unique piece of work only produced for the donors.I do hope you will be able to support our appeal.Yours in Sky BlueJoe ElliottDirector
