South Wales Evening Post - 3 March 2004
The fund set up to pay for a lasting memorial to John Charles today received a boost from the organisation set up to honour Wales's sporting greats. The Gentle Giant Appeal was launched last week by the Evening Post. We are calling on the public to raise money and make donations to ensure Swansea has a fitting tribute to its famous son. As well as paying for a permanent memorial, money from the fund will also go towards the Gentle Giant travelling exhibition, which is being put together by the Gentle Giant Trust. The Evening Post's appeal has the full backing of the Charles family as the official fund-raising campaign to remember the 72-year-old, who died on Saturday, February 21. It has been kick-started by £5,000 donations from Swansea Council and the Evening Post. Now the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame has agreed a generous £500 donation towards the appeal. Hall of Fame chairman Lord Jack Brooks said: "John Charles was a giant of the soccer world. "His achievements have not only stood the test of time since he retired, but continues to do so in an increasingly professional sporting world. "We were delighted to welcome John on to our exclusive Welsh Sports Hall of Fame Roll of Honour and were always delighted to have him accompany us at our annual presentation evenings. "He will be sorely missed by the whole of the Welsh sporting community. "When we ran a poll to find out who people thought was the greatest Welsh footballer of all time, John won with three times as many votes as his nearest rival, Ian Rush. "You only have to look at the hundreds of thousands of words written about John since he died to see how he was admired. "Juventus paid tribute to their former hero, Leeds United have agreed to name a stand after him and now we are delighted to make a small contribution to the Gentle Giant Trust Fund opened in Swansea. "We belive that a statue of John Charles should be erected and that it will act as an inspiration to future generations of Welsh sportsmen and women." Meanwhile MPs are lining up to back the Evening Post's appeal. A group of MPs is asking the House of Commons to support plans for an appropriate memorial in his home city. It is one of two Early Day Motions submitted about the Cwmdu-born legend. Signed by 13 MPs, including Swansea East's Donald Anderson, it calls for "the career and achievements of the outstanding Welsh and Leeds United footballer, John Charles to be recorded for sporting prosperity, first by the renaming of one of the stands at Elland Road as the John Charles stand and secondly by the setting up of an appropriate memorial in his home town of Swansea". However, Welsh Secretary Peter Hain has cast doubt on the second motion, in which 14 MPs including Gower's Martin Caton and Carmarthen East and Dinefwr's Adam Price, call for John Charles to receive a knighthood. Neath MP and cabinet minister Mr Hain said: "I am not aware of any precedent for posthumous knighthoods. I am just not aware of them at all. "However, the sending off of John Charles at Elland Road was magnificent and the turnout of football stars the length and breadth of Britain just shows how important a footballing legend he was and will remain in Wales and across the whole of Britain and around the world." The Evening Post wants to hear about YOUR fund-raising ideas for the Gentle Giant Appeal. Whether you are paying money straight into the special bank account, or are organising some kind of event - sporting or otherwise - we want to hear from you. Call Richard Auty on 01792 514624 or email richard.auty@swwp.co.uk |
