Work is almost complete on the Leicester Tigers Foundation Monument which is now awaiting its installation date in the area outside the main entrance to Mattioli Woods Welford Road stadium.
The Monument is part of a broader heritage project and marks the links between Leicester Tigers and the Royal Leicestershire Regiment and Armed Services while also acting as an iconic symbol of respect for the past and inspiration for the future.
Designed by Harvey Gardiner and supported by donations to the Foundation, the Monument in the form of a tiger head will recognise members of the Regiment who also played for the Tigers, the past players who served in the Forces and act as a memorial to the fallen, with 53 former players lost in conflict.
Molding and sculpting are now complete at Yorkshire Fine Arts, and the Monument will be installed at the completion of construction work on the hotel outside the Tigers stadium, with plans in place to celebrate an official unveiling this year.
Tigers Foundation manager Sam Swift said: “Working alongside the hotel contractors at Marshall’s, we are now able to look forward to completion of the Monument project.
“This is a very exciting process as we finally tick towards the unveiling of a Monument which will take pride of place in front of the home of Leicester Tigers, representing all those great players and families who have gone before us.
“The Foundation will be looking to make this a very special occasion based around the opening home matchday of next season in September.”
Alongside work around the Monument, the Leicester Tigers Foundation has also been busy in related fields, hosting a unique Remembrance Day stadium tour for supporters including many of the historic links with the Forces, and staging a moving Remembrance matchday commemoration in the company of high-ranking officials from the Regiment and the Armed Services.
The Foundation would like to thank everyone who has made a donation or shown support for the project so far.
Check out progress on the hotel development on the webcam page of the Tigers website.
