This is an open invitation for anyone who may wish and are able to contribute to the practical measures required to complete the memorial, regardless of whether they are members of any supporter group.
We expect to need people for;
- overall planning,
- financial control,
- fundraising,
- media/PR,
- managing and consulting on the design, procurement and installation of the memorial
If you are interested in participating, please send an email to [email protected] and state if there are any particular roles that interest you.
What is the purpose of the KK memorial and memorial garden project?
The KK Memorial is to commemorate the life of one of football’s great personalities, who started his football journey at Scunthorpe United and never lost sight of that.
It is also the catalyst for resurrecting the Memorial Garden project for commemorating the lives’ of Scunthorpe United fans and former players (an earlier project that did not materialise because of complications with the previous club owners).
The memorial is for supporters everywhere – whether they are supporters of Scunthorpe United, any of Kevin’s former clubs, or simply supporters of any football club as well as for the local community.
It is not specifically an Iron Trust memorial fundraiser (more than half of those who have donated to the GoFundMe (GFM) campaign so far are not Trust members).
The Iron Trust took the immediate action to initiate the fundraising and the GFM campaign has so far raised over £3.6k. Although this is encouraging the GFM campaign alone will not meet the cost of a statue or any memorial eventually decided upon.
That was the quick, short-term action. We are now developing plans as to how to move forward as it is clear from the costs involved and the practical measures required that this is a long-term project, potentially lasting around three years.
Moving Forward – an independent Memorial Steering Group
The KK Memorial fundraising should be overseen by a Steering Group made up of people who wish and are able to contribute to the practical measures required to complete the memorial, regardless of whether they are members of any supporter group.
Membership of the Steering Group is by open invitation. The club has been consulted and is agreeable to having a club representative on the Steering Group.
Once established, the Steering Group will make its own decisions, including decisions on roles, responsibilities and other practical matters.
If there are to be any substantial donations or grants, the providers of those will need to see a robust and realistic plan, together with clear actions to achieve the goal, i.e. a memorial that everyone can be proud of.
Anyone who serves on the Steering Group will be acting on behalf of the Steering Group, not on behalf of their respective supporter group.
The position of the Trust
The Trust’s objectives are to increase fan influence at the club. The mandate given to the Trust Board by its members is to help achieve this through the purchase of club shares when they become available.
This means that Trust fundraising specifically for the KK Memorial falls outside the scope of the Trust’s current role.
This does not mean that the Trust will not support the memorial project. However, the Trust Board will consult with Trust members to determine what future actions the Trust should take to support the fundraising, both financially and in other ways.
Review at the end of the season
It may be prudent for the Steering Group to assess its progress at the end of this current season and consider what can realistically be achieved in the longer term. This could include a statue, bust, plaque or another form of fitting memorial. That will be a matter for the Steering Group to consider.