Pictured above: (l-r) Steve Gray, Lloydspharmacy trading director, with CCFC life president Joe Elliott

Lloydspharmacy, which has its head office at Walsgrave, Coventry, has made a significant donation to the Jimmy Hill statue fund, taking Coventry City Football Club a step closer to its fund-raising target. 

The appeal has attracted tens of thousands of pounds in donations from supporters, businesses and other organisations. Jimmy Hill, the former manager and chairman of CCFC, led the Club from the old Third Division to the top flight for the first time in its history during the 1966/67 season. His statue has been commissioned and is due to be unveiled at the Ricoh Arena on 28 July 2011 - in time for the start of the 2011/12 season. 

Lloydspharmacy, a leading community pharmacy and healthcare provider, employs more than 600 people at its Coventry office and has 17,000 staff nationwide. Commenting on the company's donation, Steve Gray, Lloydspharmacy trading director, said: "Lloydspharmacy is delighted to support the statue of Jimmy Hill which will celebrate such an important figure in the Club's history. The fans have shown great enthusiasm for the initiative and we wanted to add our contribution too.

"As a major employer in Coventry we are keen to support the local community and the Club is very much at the heart of the city. Lloydspharmacy is already very involved with the Club as a sponsor and we were pleased to extend our support to help with the statue as it is a befitting way to recognise the achievements of Jimmy and the generosity of the fans."

Joe Elliott, CCFC life president, said: "We would like to thank Lloydspharmacy for their tremendous generosity and for taking us within touching distance of the required amount.

"Their donation, in addition to the vast contributions made by the club's supporters, will ensure the Jimmy Hill statue is in place for the beginning of next season.

"The statue is now well underway and we are all very excited about seeing it in place in time to celebrate 50 years of Sky Blue and the achievements of Jimmy Hill - a true football visionary."