THE BRIAN CLOUGH STATUE IN NOTTINGHAM
MEMORIES OF THE FUNDRAISING
A small group of fund-raisers was put together by Marcus Alton after he received the blessing of Barbara Clough for the idea of a Brian Clough statue in Nottingham. Marcus established there were no plans for a statue at the City Ground so he set about ensuring there was a lasting bronze tribute in the city.
Working closely with the Clough family, the city council and with the support of Nottingham Forest, Marcus and the fund-raising committee came up with many ideas for raising the £60,000 required. The fund-raising began with the sale of pin badges which replicated Cloughie's green jumper. They soon sold out and more were ordered. When they sold out, a new design was introduced.
The statue fund also produced hundreds of green sweaters featuring an embroidered 'Old Big 'Ead' badge. These also sold quickly and helped to raise thousands of pounds. It was clear that the public supported the idea of a Brian Clough statue.
In the image, above, statue fund chairman Paul Ellis is pictured with Brian Clough's former secretary Carole Washington who bought one of the green sweatshirts. You can also see pictures of two of the banners which were auctioned by the fund after being donated by the city council. Alongside Paul in that photo is actor Colin Tarrant who took part in the fund's launch event.
The banners had been displayed in the city centre after Brian passed away in September 2004. The other photo in the montage shows the fund's stall at a Nottingham Forest Open Day, at which the first batch of badges sold-out within a few hours.
In the Green Jumper pod, Paul Ellis praises the dedication of the small group of fundraisers who smashed their target in just 18 months. This was in the days long before the online fundraising platforms of today. The group had no previous experience of fundraising but set about their task with passion, imagination and determination. They raised £70,000.
Pictured, above, at the first part of the fund's launch event - alongside the Brian Clough tram - are (left to right) Colin Tarrant, Rich Fisher, Sarah Alton, Paul Ellis and Mick Mellors. Missing from the photo are founding committee member Mike Simpson, Paul Lowe (who joined the committee later) and Marcus Alton - who drove the campaign forward but was unable to sit on the committee due to working for the BBC at the time!
Pictured with the cheque are (left to right) Paul Ellis, Mike Simpson, Mick Mellors and Jon Collins, who was the city council leader at the time. Marcus Alton has stated that without the support of Cllr Collins, the statue would not have materialised.
Media from around the world reported on the statue unveiling by Mrs Clough. In one of the images above, you can see Paul Ellis (to the right of the statue). "It was the proudest day of my life," he tells the Green Jumper pod (below).