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Redditch to erect a statue of John Bonham in his honour


Joe Bloggs

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"A fund has been set-up to install a permanent memorial in the town to one of Britain's greatest musicians and arguably Redditch's most famous resident.

The John Bonham Memorial Fund will aim to collect as much money as possible to have a statue or sculpture erected in honour of the Led Zeppelin drummer who was born, educated and grew up in Redditch.

It is hoped space will be found within the town centre for the statue, with the bandstand area previously mooted."

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That is so fantastic, I hope that it is a smashing success because Bonham and his ancestors deserve it! Hopefully it will get very well funded, I think that it will especially if the web page they will be setting up get a lot of attention. Maybe in the future I will be fortunate enough to find the time to get there to visit this tribute to John Bonham.

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"A fund has been set-up to install a permanent memorial in the town to one of Britain's greatest musicians and arguably Redditch's most famous resident.

The John Bonham Memorial Fund will aim to collect as much money as possible to have a statue or sculpture erected in honour of the Led Zeppelin drummer who was born, educated and grew up in Redditch.

It is hoped space will be found within the town centre for the statue, with the bandstand area previously mooted."

When this is ready to go please let us know how we can donate to help. So deserved IMHO :-)

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A worthy and arguably overdue memorial, thanks for sharing the news.

Question is, what pose shall they use? Can a statue convey a drummer's flailing arms at breakneck speed?

Or perhaps we'll have him, er, fishing. Or, throwing a TV out a window? Riding a motorbike down a corridor? Selling a premium bullock at the market??

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https://www.facebook.com/johnbonhammemorialfund

I think if they made it easy to donate, via paypal for instance, this job could be done very quickly,even though the money changers take their cut. At least, those people with lots of means could donate large sums without their identity being shown. Perhaps Redditch or the organizers are being too short-sighted in their scope. Seems situations with less wanton needs, get money with little trouble these days.

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https://www.facebook.com/johnbonhammemorialfund

Perhaps Redditch or the organizers are being too short-sighted in their scope.

The "organizers" are simply two fans with an idea that has generated media coverage. I'd prefer to see the locals pony up a percentage of the funding first. In so doing the citizens of Redditch will have a vested interest in a project that in the end benefits their locale the most anyway. I would also like to see the maintenance plan, or some provisions being made thereof. Without some level of local support, this becomes just another ill-conceived idea.

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Or with a huge dose of cash and overwhelming support, both which are probably lacking, the townspeople will realize the benefits via tourism, embrace it like a new puppy and things will alright. What's for sure,we are all on the same path. Perhaps it would be of some comfort to the remaining three on the grassy side up that we will not forget them and not let this much time go by trying to build consensus.

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This is an excellent idea. I am with SAJ in that the locals contribute, as it will generate tourist dollars for them.

This should have been done long ago. They ( in Redditch ) have a unique claim to fame, having raised the world's greatest drummer.

Sign me up for a few.

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  • 11 months later...
  • Administrators
Memorial in honour of Led Zeppelin legend John Bonham

A FUNDRAISING gig organised to help raise cash for a memorial in honour of Led Zeppelin legend John Bonham will be taking place next week.

The show, at St Stephen's Church, will feature the late drummer's sister singer/songwriter Deborah Bonham, who will be playing a special acoustic set.

It has been set up by members of the John Bonham Memorial Fund, whose aim is to raise an initial £50,000 for the design and installation of a fitting permanent memorial in Redditch town centre, the birthplace of the legendary drummer.

The preferred location for the memorial is on the Church Green, behind St Stephen's church, next to the Bandstand and Bartleet Fountain, on land owned by Redditch Borough Council.

Any additional monies raised will be used to cover future maintenance costs.

The show is on Saturday, August 2 at St Stephen's Church.

Tickets are £10 in advance or £12 on the door with all proceeds going toward the statue of the great drummer.

To book or for more information, visit goldengiving.com/wall/john-bonham-memorial-fund.

http://www.redditchadvertiser.co.uk/news/11347506.Memorial_in_honour_of_Led_Zeppelin_legend_John_Bonham/

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Hi all, things moved a bit too fast for us when we started the John Bonham Memorial Fund last year. We recieved a great deal of support from the people of Redditch and fans from all over the World!!!

We now have a website and an online giving page where people can donate.

http://www.johnbonhammemorialfund.com/

https://www.goldengiving.com/charity/john-bonham-memorial-fund

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A lovely set in a lovely church last night. Some touching Bonham family films of Bonzo as a child shown as Deborah sang The Old Hyde. A really enjoyable evening of music and a get together with friends.

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A lovely set in a lovely church last night. Some touching Bonham family films of Bonzo as a child shown as Deborah sang The Old Hyde. A really enjoyable evening of music and a get together with friends.

Must have been a great experience to witness this. Thanks for sharing this.

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  • 3 years later...
  • Administrators

Plans have been put forward for a statue of legendary Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham in Redditch town centre

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REDDITCH rock legend John Bonham could finally be honoured with a statute in the town centre, the Advertiser can exclusively reveal.

Plans have been put forward for a large bronze memorial depicting the Led Zeppelin drummer in Mercian Square, off Church Green.

Ros Sidaway, from The John Bonham Memorial Fund (JBMF), said the main bulk of the funds have been raised thanks to a private donation.

Ros, who runs record shop Vintage Trax, said the plans had been a long time coming.

"We started this in 2013, so to get to this stage is amazing," she said.

"I'm both pleased as well as relieved."

She said that the memorial should mean a lot for the town, as well as help raise the profile of John among younger people who may not be fully aware of who he was, or that he was born in Redditch.

She added: "It will help bring a sense of pride back to the town."

Redditch Advertiser:

The memorial, by renowned British sculptor Mark Richards, will have an arc shaped footprint and be approximately 180cm high (at its highest point), 490cm wide by 125cm deep and weigh more than 2,500kg.

The statue, featuring a wheelchair friendly path around it, will be fixed onto a concrete foundation.

The striking design is intended for 360 degree viewing.

Redditch Advertiser:

To ensure the quality and stability of the memorial is preserved, the bronze will be coated with an anti-graffiti paint.

Campaigners from JBMF plan to set up a Friends of the John Bonham Memorial group that will have "guardians" responsible for its cleaning and general upkeep.

It is hoped the statue will be revealed before what would have been the iconic drummer's 70th birthday in May next year.

The plans will be decided upon at a meeting of Redditch Council on October 11.

A special event will be taking place at Vintage Trax, in Headless Cross, on September 22 and 23 to mark John's death where people can view the plans in more detail and comment on them.

The John Bonham Memorial Fund formed in 2013 to raise cash for a permanent memorial.

Bonham was born in Redditch and was the drummer for Led Zeppelin until he died at the age of 32 in 1980.

http://www.redditchadvertiser.co.uk/news/15530015.Redditch_rock_legend_John_Bonham_set_to_be_honoured_with_memorial_in_town_centre/

 

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