A new memorial garden celebrating the life of former Coventry City manager Jimmy Hill is being unveiled at the Ricoh Arena this weekend.
A 15-minute service to mark the opening of the Jimmy Hill Memorial Garden will begin at 1pm on Saturday, April 30 before the Sky Blues’ final home game of the season against Sheffield United.
Jamie Hill, son of Jimmy, will be cutting the ribbon and John Witcombe, Dean of Coventry Cathedral will be scattering the ashes and performing a short ceremony.
The Jaguar Land Rover Brass Band will also be performing before, during and after the service, culminating in a rendition of the Sky Blue song.
The Jimmy Hill Memorial Garden, created by the Ricoh Arena, is an extension of the current memorial garden, and will boast a granite sculpture where fans can go to pay their respects and scatter ashes of family members.
Joe Elliott MBE, former Coventry City chairman, said the idea for the garden came about with Olympian Dave Long after the Jimmy Hill memorial service at Coventry Cathedral last February.
“During the memorial service at the Cathedral we were presented with an urn of some of Jimmy’s ashes by his wife. We decided that it’d be a good opportunity to bring Jimmy home on a final journey to the football club,” Joe said.
“Jimmy Hill made Coventry City into a big club, and people remember him for this. He is iconic not only for the wonderful work he did in football during his lifetime and the media, but as far as Coventry supporters are concerned, he gave us a football club in the 1960s that followed through to the next 34 years to the First Division. He made such a difference to our lives by allowing us to support a wonderful football club with great success.”
Over the last few weeks a variety of local companies have donated their materials and expertise to make the creation of the garden possible. This includes the Ricoh Arena who have carried out ground works, Steel Construction have installed ornate metal fencing, Planet Granite created the granite sculpture, while EH Wright & Son provided shrubbery and foliage.
Andy Gibb, managing director of the Ricoh Arena, added: “The legacy that Jimmy Hill has left behind for the city of Coventry and the wider footballing world is there for all to see, so we were honoured to create this special place for Jimmy and the people of Coventry.
“We know first-hand just how much comfort the current memorial garden provides to some supporters who visit the garden to be with their loved ones, and to be able to extend this further is fantastic news.”
Chris Anderson, Executive Vice Chairman of Coventry City, commented: “Coventry City and the city of Coventry owe an immeasurable debt of gratitude to Jimmy. It is important that we continue to remember and celebrate his massive contribution to the club as we continue to drive the club forward and build on the wonderful legacy he left us. The scattering of his ashes and dedication of the memorial garden in his memory at the Ricoh Arena is a fitting tribute."