Lisbon Lion Tommy Gemmell is to be honoured with a statue in his hometown of Craigneuk. A committee is undertaking the task to find £40,000 to fund the project to celebrate the man that achieved so much on the field, yet was humble off of it.
Tommy’s family and fans are united in happiness that the great man will be celebrated in this fashion by his community.
His wife, Mary Gemmell, spoke to the Daily Record about the statute – stating how good it was that Tommy was being remembered by his community.
“Tommy was proud of his roots in Craigneuk, he worked at Ravenscraig and had to take the bus from here to Glasgow for training, quite often falling asleep and having to run the rest of the way because he missed his stop.
“It’s wonderful that people want to mark Tommy in this way and the site is fitting, overlooking the site of Ravenscraig and the community of Craigneuk.”
Martin McCrum wanted to pay tribute to the Celtic legend – so established the community action that brought about the decision to honour Tommy with a statue.
“Raising a statue to Tommy is in recognition of a remarkable achievement to a working-class hero who is seen as true inspiration to many.
“Tommy started from humble beginnings and is recognised globally – he was a true leader and is a true inspiration to our community.
“The statue represents achievement and the message is ‘if he can do it you can too’.
“Tommy was fiercely proud of his Craigneuk roots and nothing would please him more to know he inspired success in his own community and it’s through Tommy’s remarkable life that Lanarkshire can be inspired to great success in the future.
“Tommy’s statue is for everyone and we hope that it won’t be long until we see the next Lanarkshire hero emerge.”
The Tommy Gemmell Dunblane CSC – where Tommy spent his later years will be hoping to raise funds towards the project later this year.
It is imperative that these men, who achieved so much and gave the club such unprecedented success be remembered for their achievements, as well as the fact that they were good men too.
