Press release for unveiling of Billy Bremner plaque 4/9/24

[Lorimer46]

A Blue Plaque has been unveiled to honour Billy
https://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/24 ... -stirling/

[1964white]

Heidi has been heavily involved in the erection of Billy's plaque.

Bremner was my first football idol back in 1964, my all-time favourite footballer.

[Orange Box]

https://collections.stir.ac.uk/billybremner/

Stirling university Billy Bremner online museum, well worth a visit. Even got a section on our Heidi.

[weasel]

You would have thought they could have swept that bit of the pavement, power washed the bricks and repointed at least the section of the wall first. It is a beautiful gesture but do it properly. Am only surprised they haven't got a dog p*ssing against the wall in the photo.

It just looks like the council, or whoever, have done it but given as little time and effort to it as they can.

Saddens me that something as special is not done right.

[Finnatic]

You would have thought they could have swept that bit of the pavement, power washed the bricks and repointed at least the section of the wall first. It is a beautiful gesture but do it properly. Am only surprised they haven't got a dog p*ssing against the wall in the photo.

It just looks like the council, or whoever, have done it but given as little time and effort to it as they can.

Saddens me that something as special is not done right.

It’s also too low down, anyone with a marker pen could deface it with no effort whatsoever.

[1964white]

It’s also too low down, anyone with a marker pen could deface it with no effort whatsoever.

Modern day Scottish football fans will have a field day with their sprays & marker pens.

[Finnatic]

Modern day Scottish football fans will have a field day with their sprays & marker pens.

Yep or just school kids even.

[Prisoner37]

Heidi has been heavily involved in the erection of Billy's plaque.

Bremner was my first football idol back in 1964, my all-time favourite footballer.

Me too 64. Billy was so skillful and had the heart of a lion to go with it.

[Lufcheidi]

Billy Bremner plaque unveiled in his memory and artist selected to create the statue
· Eddie Gray unveiled the plaque in his old teammates honour

· Renowned Scottish sculptor, Kenny Hunter, announced as the commissioned artist for the statue
04/09/2024 Issued by the Scottish Football Supporters Association: The Scottish Football Supporters Association (SFSA) in partnership with Leeds United Supporters Groups, University of Stirling, Raploch Community Council and more are proud to announce the Billy Bremner plaque has been unveiled at 35a Weir Street in Raploch, the very house Billy grew up in.
Former international teammates of Billy Bremner, Jimmy Bone and John Blackley, supported the unveiling in Raploch, Stirling. Former Leeds United and Scotland star and long-term teammate and friend of Billy Bremner, Eddie Gray unveiled the plaque and was quoted as saying “It was real honour to be asked to unveil the blue plaque showing the world where Billy came from. He was fiercely proud of his roots, and it will be a fitting tribute to see a statue here in the coming years. He really was an iconic player that everyone in Leeds and Scotland loved.”
The artist commissioned to sculpt the statue of Billy Bremner was announced as Kenny Hunter. SFSA Project Manager Alexander Gibb said “Following a difficult decision-making process we are delighted to announce Kenny Hunter as the artist to sculpt the great Billy Bremner. It is an honour to be working closely with an artist of Kenny’s prestige and we cannot wait to support Kenny in his vision of Billy Bremner.”
You can find his website here: www.kenny-hunter.com
This is only the beginning of the Billy Bremner memorial project. Over the next year there will be fundraising events to reach the minimum value required to be able to erect the statue, while any excess funds will be redistributed via community projects in Stirling. The link to the fundraising page can be found here: www.scottishfsa.org/bremner/
The Scottish Football Supporter’s Association is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 2015 by Paul Goodwin and Simon Barrow who felt Scotland’s football fans deserved a voice in the game. The organisation has more than 80,000 members and works tirelessly to ensure Scottish football fans voices are heard.

[whiteswan]

Great photos....and check out Eddie's shoes. Love 'em

[whiteswan]

Good to see you there Heidi.....thanks for posting. King Billy Hero to so many. I knew the groundsman in the 80's. He always spoke highly of Billy when he was manager. Billy would go out onto the pitch to make sure the groundstaff were OK, take them cups of tea etc. A special player, a special man.

[1964white]

Me too 64. Billy was so skillful and had the heart of a lion to go with it.

As a kid I met Billy & Johnny Giles before one of our games at ER.

I'll always remember Billy ruffling my hair. When I returned home, mum said time to have a bath, I wasn't happy & told mum, you are not washing my hair.

A special moment in my life, remembering my boyhood hero, still makes me feel giddy sixty years later.

[1964white]

Cue Hector!!!

[1964white]

Nice photos, Heidi.

[Lufcheidi]

Thanks for all your comments which are appreciated. Whilst taking on board some of the criticisms, we are just happy to have achieved our aim and are now getting plans in place for the fundraising for the statue. The journey was started 6 years ago yesterday after a conversation between Gary Edwards and Chris so it is no mean feat to have got this far with a lot of hard work put in. I can’t wait to share the artist’s vision for Billy and what I will say is that everyone taking part in the decision were unanimous in supporting his bid.

[CUSSIE01]

Great photos Heidi, it’s really good to see Billy get the recognition he deserves. Well done to everyone involved

[hector]

Cue Hector!!!

Why would he ruffle the hair of an old man???

[Prisoner37]

As a kid I met Billy & Johnny Giles before one of our games at ER.

I'll always remember Billy ruffling my hair. When I returned home, mum said time to have a bath, I wasn't happy & told mum, you are not washing my hair.

A special moment in my life, remembering my boyhood hero, still makes me feel giddy sixty years later.

Lovely story.

[Sean_Nile]

Blue plaques that commemorate famous people in the UK have occasionally been stolen, despite their cultural and historical significance. These plaques, especially the ones made of metal, can be targeted by thieves for their material value or as collectibles. There have been some notable instances of missing or stolen blue plaques:

Joseph Grimaldi (Clown)
In 2010, the blue plaque commemorating Joseph Grimaldi, the famous 19th-century English clown, was stolen from a property in Islington, London. Grimaldi is considered one of the most influential figures in clowning.

Jimi Hendrix (Musician)
A blue plaque marking the London home of Jimi Hendrix was stolen in 2015. The plaque had been installed at his former residence in Mayfair, which he shared with his girlfriend in the late 1960s.

Marc Bolan (Musician)
The blue plaque honoring Marc Bolan, the frontman of the glam rock band T. Rex, was stolen from outside his former home in Wimbledon, London.

Sir William Henry Bragg
In 2011, the blue plaque commemorating Nobel Prize-winning physicist Sir William Henry Bragg was reported missing from his former residence in Leeds. Thieves targeted the plaque for its metal content.

These incidents highlight a growing issue of theft, particularly when plaques are made of metal. In response, some organizations, like English Heritage, have begun using materials that are less likely to be stolen, such as ceramics.

That plaque is a low hanging fruit to anyone with criminal intent... they could have down better.

[John in Louisiana]

Heidi has been heavily involved in the erection of Billy's plaque.

Bremner was my first football idol back in 1964, my all-time favourite footballer.

Thank you, Heidi.

I was a little later to the dance, discovering Bremner and Leeds in 1970-71, but came to a different conclusion. Bremner is not my all-time favourite footballer. He's my all-time favorite footballer and will be until the day I die.