Founded in 2016, the Jimmy Hill Legacy Fund is a fundraising initiative in order to provide opportunities to improve the quality of life for those who need it most, in memory of the late Jimmy Hill OBE, who passed away on 19th December 2015.
Jimmy Hill’s success had a massive impact on the city of Coventry and the Legacy Fund will provide a fitting tribute in his memory, supporting a number of causes that were close to his heart.
The aims of the Jimmy Hill Legacy Fund, which is administer by Sky Blues in the Community and is supported by Jimmy’s widow Bryony and Jimmy’s family, are as follows:
- To provide activities for children and adults with disabilities (through activities run by Sky Blues in the Community)
- To provide opportunities for disadvantaged children and young people in Coventry and Warwickshire (delivered by SBitC)
- Support and increase the activities on match days in the Sky Blues Family Zone (run by volunteers)
- To provide small grant awards to local voluntary and community organisations
The Jimmy Hill Legacy Fund is ran by a voluntary committee which consists of former Sky Blues chairman Joe Elliott MBE, Sky Blues in the Community’s Dave Busst, Mark Hornby from Coventry City, Terry Angus from the Professional Footballers Association, former Olympian Dave Long and Emma Brodie from Coventry Building Society, with support from Sami Turgeon of Sky Blues in the Community.
Collectors from Coventry City Girls FC are around the ground on Saturday with a bucket collection to raise money for the Jimmy Hill Legacy Fund and we ask fans to donate any cash if they can!
£1 from each match ticket sold is also being donated by Coventry City to the Legacy Fund.
You can also donate online – just simply visit https://bit.ly/JHLegacyFundDonate or the button below...
Who has received funds previously
The Jimmy Hill Legacy Fund has supported a range of causes and organisations in Coventry and Warwickshire.
All of these projects were required to apply to the Fund, provide details of the funding they required and how the money would make a real difference to what they are able to do. For example, the Jimmy Hill Legacy Fund has provided money to:
- Castle Wood School for new playground equipment
- Coventry Sphinx Blue U15’s for new kit
- Bulkington Cricket Club to train new coaches
- Macmillan Walking Football Cancer Support Group pitch hire and refreshments
- Supporting coach development at Coventry City Girls & Women Football Club
- City of Coventry Corps of Drums to help work to encourage new members
- Foleshill Fire Cadets Q.A.V.S for new equipment and activities
- Mercia Therapy Centre Coventry for a physiotherapy led exercise class for 12 months
- Kit and equipment for the Longford Short Football Soccer Camps
Details of how causes and organisations can apply for future funding will be on ccfc.co.uk in the coming months.
How the Legacy Fund helped during the pandemic
The Jimmy Hill Legacy Fund supported vulnerable people who were affected by the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Committee of the Legacy Fund met virtually during the pandemic and felt that it was important that the Legacy Fund helped to support charities and organisations that were supporting others during such difficult times.
They chose to donate to support Moat House Community Trust Henley Green Grub Hub and the Rise project, which supports children who are struggling with their mental health during pandemic – both topics which came to the forefront during the period.
Rise is a family of NHS-led services providing emotional wellbeing and mental health services for children and young people in Coventry and Warwickshire.
Rise aims to build resilience and empower children and young people (as well as the adults in their lives) to know where to go for help and advice. It’s made up of a number of different services, each led by mental health specialists.
The Jimmy Hill Legacy Fund supported Rise and their #ThanksKids project in helping to recognise children who have shown kindness or gone the ‘extra mile’ during the pandemic, and support children who may be struggling.
You can see more about them by visiting their website: www.cwrise.com
Meanwhile, the Legacy Fund also supported MHCT-Henley Grub Hub Grub Hub by helping to expand the facilities that they could offer to those are using the Food Bank and Social Supermarket services.
Through the creation of an outdoor Gazebo style meeting space, the Grub Hub’s visitors were able to socialise more in a safe environment and help support their mental health and allow for an increase of activities at the Grub Hub, such as coffee mornings etc.
You can see more about the Grub Hub and Moat House Community Trust by visiting www.facebook.com/MoatHouseCT