--- At theotherplace,
"Damian Eadie" <wombraider@b...> wrote:
>
> I know one or two of you have been
> mooting ideas about travel and
> accommodation for November 10th -
> the date of RW's memorial.

> However, i've discovered today that
> the memorial service is organised on
> the basis of a TICKETS ONLY event.

> I gather the maximum capacity is
> 2400 people. It's unlikely everyone
> who wants to come is going to get
> the chance
>
> DE

Apologies in advance for the fact that
this is a v-e-r-y long message .... :-)

-----------------

Before Richard was laid to rest, IIRC an
entirely reasonable request was made of
the public - asking that we should NOT
attempt to attend the *private* funeral
service for Richard. And notwithstanding
the behaviour of certain tabloid rags,
I'm sure that the vast majority of
ordinary members of the public HAVE fully
respected that request to keep Richard's
funeral service as a private event.

At around the time of that request, we
were promised that there would also be a
*public* memorial service. And that we
could pay our respects there instead,
rather than at the private funeral service.

But the promise that we could later attend
a public memorial service for Richard was
made without *any* reference being made to
a limitation upon the number of people who
would be allowed to attend the said public
memorial service. Thus implying that at a
later date, we would ALL get a chance to
attend the public memorial service for
King Dick - and not just a small fraction
of the people who may be interested.

Because only 2,400 tickets will be
available for a public memorial service
held at that venue, I wouldn't be surprised
if the number of applicants for tickets to
Richard's public memorial service outstrips
the capacity of that venue by about 2 to 1.

And that estimate does not include all of
the extra people who WOULD have attended -
but who would be put off from applying or
attending by the likely scarcity of tickets.

But there IS a way around this problem ....

-----------------

Do any of you remember seeing glimpses of
any special editions of "Songs Of Praise",
which have been variously held in famous
sports stadiums?

IIRC, these have involved
- a sports stadium
- a (Sunday?) Christian religious service
being held
- and a crowd of people far larger than
you'll probably be able to fit inside even
the very biggest of cathedrals.

Surely this is one situation where the
same kind of thing also ought to be done.
With a memorial service for Richard being
conducted of course, rather than the
usual Sunday mass cum religious service.

-----------------

Now out of all of the sports stadiums
where any Richard Whiteley memorial
service could possibly be held at, IMO
there is one place that stands head and
shoulders above the rest for suitability.

A hallowed place, which Richard himself
must have visited countless times.

A place where if you'd told Richard
"We will need to hold a public memorial
service for you at ********** when you
die, because there isn't a cathedral
built that is big enough!", then he
would have been delighted.

One of the few venues for a memorial
service whose appropriateness to a
"King Of Yorkshire" is the equal of
even a cathedral.

A place in the city in which RW did the
majority of his greatest work - Leeds.

And place with room for 14,000 - not a
measly 2,400. With extra possible
standing room for more people, if it
was needed, in the outfield?

Yes, the place that gets ticks on all of
these boxes is HEADingley Cricket Ground.

The home of Yorkshire County Cricket
Club, and test match cricket venue for
some all-time best ever performances
(e.g. England v Australia 3rd test 1981).

--------------------

So please x 14,000 can we have the venue
for the Richard Whiteley Memorial Service
changed to HEADingley Cricket Ground instead?
Date: T.B.A. (but before December is best).

So that we can *all* be allowed opportunity
to 'HEAD' for Richard's Memorial Service.


Zef