Station show is boost for Bennystatuecampaign
GORBALS boxing hero Benny Lynch is to be honoured with an exhibition in Glasgow Central.
Fans of the sportsman will be able to find out more about one of the greatest boxers Scotland has ever produced as they travel through the station.
And the exhibition is timed to coincide with the 82nd anniversary of the day Benny won the World Championship in 1935.
The Evening Times first told about the travelling exhibition, organised by Glasgow Life, in March last year.
It is supported by campaign group Remembering Benny Lynch, which hopes to raise £100,000 for a statue of Benny.
The exhibitions will be in the station as the group aims to push forward with its fundraising efforts.
Marie McLelland, a member of Remembering Benny Lynch, said: “This is a truly iconic event in Benny’s history and to bring his gloves and trophies back to Central Station on this anniversary is amazing.
“We can’t thank the Open Museum enough for supporting us and giving us such an amazing display to highlight our campaign.”
The group has now raised more than £30,000 towards the cost of the statue and is hoping to seriously boost its fundraising efforts with the auction of a signed globe from Olympic boxer Anthony Joshua.
The glove is currently on Ebay and the campaigners hope it will sell for a good sum.
On Saturday, the exhibition will be in Glasgow Central Station from 10am until 4pm.
Fans can see the World and European Championship trophies he won in 1935 and retained in 1837.
The trophies were brought together for the first time by the exhibition with Glasgow businessman Willie Haughey loaning the European Championship silverware.
They are joined by Benny’s boxing gloves, which sit beside magazine and newspaper articles detailing his career.
September 9, 1935, was the date “the wee man from the Gorbals” won the World Championships in Manchester against Jacki Brown.
After the match Benny travelled back to Glasgow by train to be greeted by around 100,000 cheering fans who lined the streets and packed into the station to celebrate his achievement.
The train station is very much part of Benny’s story, with visitor tours to Glasgow Central of talking about that day i n Glasgow’s history.
Remembering Benny Lynch members will be in Glasgow Central on Saturday fundraising for their campaign.
They hope that everyone passing by will give £1 towards their statue fund and help boost funds.
Open Museum outreach assistant Kevin Kerrigan saw the Benny Lynch campaign on social media and organised the travelling exhibition, which runs until April next year.
On Saturday Kevin will be bringing boxing gloves that belonged to a contemporary of Benny’s so people can handle them and feel what vintage gloves were like.
The exhibition will travel to the Kelvin Hall, where Benny boxed many times, in October before moving back to Gorbals Library where Kevin said he hopes people who return home for Christmas will come and see it.
To bid for Anthony Joshua’s signed glove see www.ebay.co.uk/ itm/322706819647