Memorial Wall

[i_kingsley]

Please let me have some feed back on this subject as it may help other people.

With the second aniversary of my mothers passing, my father went to the stadium memorial wall to leave a wreath in her memory.
He noticed other people have left their own memorials to their loved ones, but some of them were bunches of flowers that had obviously been stood against the wall but had fallen over for what ever reason.
My father has since called the club with the idea of putting some rings into the wall by the side or underneath the memorials so that people can place the flowers in to them and they dont get knocked/ blown over. The club thought this would/may be a good idea and would look in to it, they were going to ask other people what they thought, so i thought i would get your thoughts and maybe speed up the proccess.

Many thanks for your thoughts

and i miss you mum love you lots

[The Cube]

When last at Leicester, and obviously whilst thinking mostly of other things, I noticed that they had a small enclosed memorial garden for both fans and former players. I thought this was a very good idea and planned to suggest it at some stage but never got round to it. I think Stoke have something similar near the Matthews sculpture.

I think the idea of rings is a good one to simply solve the existing problem, but I wonder if there is scope for something a bit more.

[readingtillidie]

very good idea.Glad your father contacted the club and they are willing to listen to what fans want.
I think more should be done to mark past family members etc of fellow reading fc fans.Just like they have at other grounds round the country.I belive one of the german grounds has a grave yard next to it for there fans.

[RFCMod]

Fantastic idea
Not offending anyone and a great way to celebrate someones life
Just for once the club may have got it right

[Gordons Cumming]

The club will probably assess the idea and agree that it is good but unfortunately any suggestions
will fall foul of health and safety regulations.

I hope not.

[Whistle]

Blackburn have a memorial garden too I think.

Frankly the growing connection between death, memorials and football worries and saddens me. Too many minutes silence these days. A football club is more of a leisure business than a church. Would you have your ashes scattered in the garden of the Rose and Thistle because you drank there a lot?

[Radders]

They are probably discussing how much to charge for the ring!

Stuff like this should be done as it reminds everyone what the club is about, the fans and the local community, some of which are not with us anymore but are never forgotten. Top idea.

Mark

[Dirk Gently]

Many clubs have a memorial garden primarily because they were getting so many requests for people's ashes to be scattered onto the pitch that it was unworkable - at the bigger clubs two or three request a week, and so they set up somewhere where this could be done without making too much impact on the pitch itself.

Can't see any problem with the rings - sounds a great idea - also don't know just how practical it would be to have a small garden in front of the memorial wall - or elsewhere - but that would be a very nice move. A reflection on just how important a football club is to its supporters.

[BR2]

Blackburn have a memorial garden too I think.

Frankly the growing connection between death, memorials and football worries and saddens me. Too many minutes silence these days. A football club is more of a leisure business than a church. Would you have your ashes scattered in the garden of the Rose and Thistle because you drank there a lot?

I don't agree-for most of us it is a church and a meeting place with fellow worshippers.
We had my late father-in-law's ashes scattered over the Manor Ground at Oxford-he had been a committed fan through Southern League right through to the top level and some of the way back down again.
I know that he would have laughed at the ground now being built on.
My daughter and I have bricks in the wall and I'll be happy with that but for those that want something more like a garden or something then by all means let them have it and hopefully no chavs spoil whatever it is.

[RoyalBlue]

Blackburn have a memorial garden too I think.

Frankly the growing connection between death, memorials and football worries and saddens me. Too many minutes silence these days. A football club is more of a leisure business than a church. Would you have your ashes scattered in the garden of the Rose and Thistle because you drank there a lot?

Yes, if that was the place I was really happy in whilst I was in the mortal world.

[Jerry St Clair]

If someone could scatter my ashes in someone's back garden, roughly where the Southbank used to be, that's fine by me.

I understand the sentiment and desire for remembrance at the club's current home but, personally, i think Elm Park is a more appropriate place for memorial.

[Scrappy]

The connection between football and memorial is there because its where people gather for a good time in groups as friends and as family. By having a memorial there people like to feel that that special someone is still able to be there, albeit only in spirit. We have our own memorial at the ground ourseleves and its nice to be able to go up there before the game, touch my aunt's name before going in hoping it will give us luck. I prefer it to having a memorial at the stadium rather than at a graveyard as graveyards often feel very solumn whereas a football ground is more lively and its a better place to reflect as you remember the good times rather than the bad.

[working class hero]

Many clubs have a memorial garden primarily because they were getting so many requests for people's ashes to be scattered onto the pitch that it was unworkable - at the bigger clubs two or three request a week, and so they set up somewhere where this could be done without making too much impact on the pitch itself.

A few small pots of ashes would hardly have a significant impact. If anything the fertilising effects of ash would be beneficial to the grass.

[i_kingsley]

Thanks for the feedback folks
It seems like everyone has a positive look on the memorial wall give or take a bit af tweeking.

i will let my father know what has been said on this site.

yet again THANKS

[Dirk Gently]

Many clubs have a memorial garden primarily because they were getting so many requests for people's ashes to be scattered onto the pitch that it was unworkable - at the bigger clubs two or three request a week, and so they set up somewhere where this could be done without making too much impact on the pitch itself.

A few small pots of ashes would hardly have a significant impact. If anything the fertilising effects of ash would be beneficial to the grass.

It's not so much that - it's more the parties of families and friends traipsing across the pitch in the ceremonies when the ashes are spread, plus the staff time spent accompanying them.

[i_kingsley]

Many clubs have a memorial garden primarily because they were getting so many requests for people's ashes to be scattered onto the pitch that it was unworkable - at the bigger clubs two or three request a week, and so they set up somewhere where this could be done without making too much impact on the pitch itself.

A few small pots of ashes would hardly have a significant impact. If anything the fertilising effects of ash would be beneficial to the grass.

It's not so much that - it's more the parties of families and friends traipsing across the pitch in the ceremonies when the ashes are spread, plus the staff time spent accompanying them.

At Reading with my mother it was not a case of traipsing across the pitch and a host of staff helping.
we kept to the track around the pitch and the only other staff was the club chaplain.
as for speading the ashes..... they dug a 2ft deep hole right behind the north goal and put the ashes into the ground then filled the hole in (for those that are bound to ask NO they did not leave the ashes in the urn).

The club were fantastic at everything they did with my mothers ashes and were nothing less than profesional and kind.

[buggsey]

I am totally overwhelmed by the response to the idea I told my son about putting rings below the memorial wall for mourners to insert bouquets of flowers to their loved ones. I had my florist construct my bouqet so that it would stand on the ground under the plaque, but I feel that this it not completely satisfactory.
The memorial wall is a considerable comfort to the relatives of those that they have lost, my own darling wife's ashes have been placed below the north stand goal, so the memorial plaque is the only place that i can leave a tribute to her each year.
I sincerely trust, that the club will be able to accomodate this request to enable the bereaved to leave tributes to their departed in a reverent manner and not laid onn the ground
Buggsey

[buggsey]

I am sure you will all be pleased to hear that the club have confirmed they are seeking quotations of costs for the installation of the rings on both memorial wall plaques, let hope its sooner than later

[Scrappy]

Credit to the club they keep the flowers there until they are completelly gone, not chucking them away on first sight.

[Stuffed Crust Pizza]

Having lost a dear family friend last night, I was considering purchasing a plaque to mount on the memorial wall at the stadium.

Could I ask where abouts at the stadium it is? And also how would I go about purchasing one?