Bradford City fans rally to raise cash to replace stolen memorial (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Bradford City fans rally to raise cash to replace stolen memorial

12:50pm Monday 28th May 2012 in News By James Rush, T&A Reporter

A group of Bradford City supporters have joined forces to raise money to replace a memorial to the lives of two young brothers who died in the Bradford City fire after it was stolen for the second time in as many years.

The supporters, who came together through the messageboard on the Bradford City website, decided to act after seeing the story of the theft in the Telegraph & Argus last week.

On Tuesday the T&A reported how Hazel Greenwood, whose husband Peter, 46, and sons Felix, 13, and Rupert, 11, were among the 56 victims of the tragedy 27 years ago this month, found a plaque in memory of her sons at a beauty spot at Widdup had been pulled off for the second time in two years.

Each year, Mrs Greenwood visits the spot to mark anniversaries, and in May last year was horrified to find the stainless steel plaque had been taken.

A friend paid for a more robust plaque, yet on a visit to mark the 27th anniversary of the disaster at Valley Parade, but Mrs Greenwood found that it too had been pulled off. Bantams fan Roger Vaughan, of Rawdon, said he got on board with the fundraising drive after a user on City’s messageboard proposed raising money to help buy a new plaque.

The 31-year-old said: “There are also a few members of the messageboard who have been affected by the fire as well, some people who have lost friends or family, so the idea was just to raise money so another one could be set up however she wanted to do it.”

Anyone with information about the theft has been asked to contact Sergeant Michael Bowden, of the Upper Calder Valley Policing Team, on the non-emergency number 101.