The £102,000 required for the erection of a statue of Jimmy Sirrel and Jack Wheeler on Meadow Lane has been reached!
Thanks to the help of Notts County fans, former players, the club and members of the business community Jimmy & Jack will soon be back where they belong.
The final effort, a fans' sponsored walk took place yesterday (January 10th) to coincide with the 7th anniversary of Jack Wheeler's death, with a route from Wollaton (where he lived( to Meadow Lane where he worked for 26 years.
This raised in excess of £600 and took the fund to the final amount needed.
Last week, Jimmy & Jack committee members met with the Council and the plinth that the statue will be placed on, as well as 1,400 name plaques have been ordered and now the focus is planning the unveiling in April 2016.
Speaking to the Official Site, Lisa Black of the committee told us: “The committee would like to thank everyone that has been involved from the very start through to the final fund raiser yesterday.
“It has been a long journey, one that has been taken with many, and we have enjoyed almost every minute of it.”
Lisa continued: “We have met some wonderful people who have Notts County running through their veins and we know that this special monument means so much to so many people and so we are resolute in our determination to make sure that we see it in place before the end of this season.”
Regarding what happens next now the fundraising has been completed, Lisa told us it’s all planned out quite carefully.
“In terms of the next steps, our focus must now be on the co-ordination of the installation and this will require us working with the professionals at the Council, the Foundry and of course, Andrew Edwards the sculptor who has - along with the foundry - invested a great deal of love, care and attention into the statue. We hope that all the supporters will appreciate the talent that has been put into our two legends.”
Stay tuned to the official site over the coming weeks for the latest developments in the statue’s erection.
We will of course update you on the Official Site with the installation plans and the unveiling plans.
Lisa was keen to end by thanking all of those who have helped.
“We can say thank you many times, to many people and it would seem insufficient for what started as a fans initiative and has and will end as a fans achievement to have our dream realised.
“The dream of Notts County's first ever statue, one to commemorate two of the greatest figures in the history of the world's oldest professional league club. Well done to you all and of course thank you!”